Avatar: The New World
by 2Tame a River
Summary: A hundred years after the time of Avatar Korra, a new Avatar has risen. He will bring the nations together in a way unlike any other time in history. But to do so, he must rise to a position of power greater than any Avatar before him. A position that just might destroy him, his marriage, his friendships and everything he worked so hard to build.
1. Prologue

**AVATAR: The New World**

Book One: Beginnings

…

Prologue

...

In and out. Through the nose, out the mouth. In and out. The rush of oxygen. He could feel it moving, in and out. It swept around him, even through him. With each inhale, air filled his lungs and invigorated his muscles, propelled his blood, pumped his heart. A heart that he could hear beating like a steady, rhythmic pounding of a bass drum between his ears.

Sweat trickled slowly down his face from his hairline, stinging his eyes, but the pain was ignored. Tanned, moist skin shimmered under the brutal rays of the sizzling afternoon sun. And still, his focus did not waver. He breathed slowly, in and out.

Air had a method. One could not wield air as one did earth or sand. Air was not to be so easily commanded. It was everywhere, yet elusive. Hard to grasp and even harder to manipulate. Even after years of dedicated training, one did not become a master until you fully understood that the truth of air bending was not in the capturing of the wind, but in giving it direction. Like any bending power, the ability to manipulate an element did not come from striving for control of it. The power only came once you accepted it as a part of you, and simply allowed oneself to be a vessel of it. But first, you had to be patient. Patient with yourself, and patient with the element itself.

And so, he waited.

Then, it came. A refreshing, gentle breeze swept sweetly past his bare feet and stirred his tousled black locks affectionately, cooling his hot cheeks. In the next moment, the wind current shifted and began swirling, dancing around him, enticing him to participate. The wind loved to play.

With sudden speed, his arm cut through the air, weaving through it meticulously, his motions swift, yet graceful, spinning the current to his will.

Bending.

It was life's greatest marvel. Nothing could compare, much less match the fulfilling sensation that resonated deep within you when becoming one with an element.

And so he immersed himself.

The wind increased in strength and power, circulating before being cast into all different directions, rustling trees on the near mountainside. The man moved with a fusion of beauty and precision while step by step, he performed what many could have mistaken to be a dance. So smooth were his motions, so lithe and agile was his body as he jumped, kicked and twirled sideways through the air as if he were weightless.

And so well was the routine practiced, that the man spun through the breeze like a leaf in the wind, his feet lifting completely off the ground, being swept up into the air. His use of the element was so subtle, one might have thought he was at the mercy of the breeze, and not the other way around. Then, as suddenly as it had all began, the man and the wind both stilled with a final clap. The spinning funnel of air vanished around him, and he dropped to land on one leg, bending at the knee. Perfectly balanced.

In and out. His chest rose and fell. His sculpted body, with arms braced as if in reverent prayer, then hovered up, ten feet above the carved surface of a stone platform. A background of massive gray mountains towered behind him. Amidst them was a temple built of white stone, its towers so high that they seemed to poke holes in the clouds.

It was a peaceful place, this Eastern Air Temple. It was a spirit filled place.

It was one of the very few places that this man could go to for some actual tranquility in a world of problems. That was all this life had ever seemed to give him in return for his efforts: More problems to solve. But at least _here_, he could taste respite. Here, he could be free. Suddenly, his wrist piece chirped at him.

What _now?_

He sighed, the peaceful moment over, and tapped the gauntlet. A mini screen on his forearm flickered to life, and the face of his White Lotus guard appeared.

"Avatar Li," the man addressed.

"I thought I communicated it was my desire to be left _alone_ and undisturbed..."

"Indeed, you did. But...you have a visitor..." The sentry guard trailed off, hesitating.

Avatar Li clenched his fists and lowered himself back to the ground, summoning some much needed patience.

"Who?" But movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. A bald man with a blue arrow tattoo on his head had just entered the temple courtyard and was approaching with a cane, his limp prominent.

This man was adorned in the ancient orange and yellow attire of the Air Temple Monks of old. And this wasn't just any monk. This was the head Air Master of the Peace Force, started by Master Jinora. This was a man whose influence stemmed throughout all of the great four nations, and whose peace force members were also legends following in Aang's footsteps as peacekeepers.

Li raised his chin slightly, green eyes cast curiously down upon his unexpected guest.

"Master Jomei," he greeted stoically, clasping his hands behind his back. "It has been a while. To what do I owe this honor?"

"You know why I am here," Jomei replied, frown creases etched around his small mouth and lying under shrewd eyes. Avatar Li took a deep breath through the nose. In and out.

"My tolerance for listening to your lectures has long since passed," Li warned quietly. "I respected you once. But that was before your theologies proved faulty. If it is advice you have come to give, do not waste your breath."

Master Jomei braced himself against his wooden walking staff and stared up at the Avatar, his gaze unwavering.

"I come not with advice, but with a warning," the elder man countered, his tone grave. Li's eyes sharpened marginally, but he waited as the man continued.

"Persuading the leaders of the four nations to unite under one ruler will only bring more harm than good. It is too much power and responsibility for any one man. And when this momentous task proves too difficult for you, I cannot help but wonder who, or what will be brought down with you."

Avatar Li dipped his chin and took in another deep breath. In and out.

"As I said, your lectures are no longer of any interest to me. Perhaps it is time that I may interest _you_ with a little lecture of my own?" the Avatar offered, unclasping his hands from behind his back and suddenly lifting up, levitating, off the rock pedestal in which he'd been standing. He gracefully descended onto the stone grounds of the courtyard, landing only a couple yards away from the Airbending Master.

"For an Airbending Master who taught me everything I know about the element, you seem to be forgetting the very core of your own teachings," Avatar Li spoke, his tone low, and mildly condescending.

"And what would that be, Master Avatar?" Jomei inquired patiently. Li stepped forward, closing the distance between them to look down his nose at the airbender.

"Change."

Master Jomei did not appear to be in any way swayed by this statement. Avatar Li continued.

"You have taught me that the air is never still and is constantly moving. Constantly changing direction, speed and force. When it is contained within four walls, it becomes stagnant, and loses all power. How I see now, that the balance of all nature is very much the same. Society is the same. If you try to contain its very essence, which is to alter, develope, to _change_, then we shall become stagnant. _Powerless_." Avatar Li explained calmly, even as a sharpness entered his gaze while he stood eye to eye with his old master.

"What is more," Li continued, "is that you have trained me, as the Avatar, not to envision my elements separately, but as individual energies that must be channeled and combined into one. You taught me to attain unity through the four elements, and by heeding your great teachings, I have become the most powerful Avatar in _history_." Li was not bragging. He was not a proud man. He spoke only to enforce fact.

"So tell me, Master Jomei. Why is it that you fear change? And why is it that you stand opposed to the Four Nations finally being brought into _their_ perfect union? Why fight this when you know that I have proven myself again and again as the rightful leader to take high command over the Nations?"

Avatar Li's words hung in the air, leaving it charged with tension. Master Jomei stood in silence for a long, weighty moment; his expression was unreadable and unchanged. Li's mind ran quickly over the multiple possibilities of how his old Master would respond. Denial tended to be a favorite of his. But, this was not to be so today. At last Master Jomei responded.

"In a perfect world, I would agree with you," the master spoke, much to the Avatar's astonishment. "But this is not a perfect world. And you are _not_ a perfect man."

Li's emerald eyes flashed in rebellion.

"I can be, and I _will_."

"Your obsession with perfection will only keep you striving and frustrated for the rest of your life. And besides this, life is short. Very short," Master Jomei reminded, his coarse voice grating on the Avatar's ears. "What should happen when you pass on into the Spirit Realm? What should be the fate of the Nations then?"

"Upon my time of death, the position shall go to whom I deem worthy, and that person shall stay in power until the next Avatar has come of age to accept his or her rightful position as High Ruler," Li explained coolly. "I have planned for all contingencies. Do you think I would come this far without having thought these things through?" Li could not deny the hurt he felt knowing that his own master still doubted his capabilities. Especially when Master Jomei knew first hand just how devoted Li was to his studies.

Master Jomei sighed deeply, closing his tired eyes for a moment. When they finally opened, they looked into Li's with an unexpected amount of tenderness, temporarily disarming the Avatar.

"What happened to the young man I met at the steps of this temple? The young man who so disliked the idea of being burdened with leadership?" The monk asked softly.

Li sucked in a deep breath through the nose, in and out. He crossed his arms and shrugged.

"He changed."

...


	2. Chapter 1: The Sand Bender

**Chapter One: **The Sand Bender

…

_Ten years prior…_

The sandstorm was the fiercest of the season so far. For five days it had been raging, leaving the entire village trapped within their tightly sealed mud homes. No one dared venture outside for fear of being sliced or beaten to death by sand shards the size of a man's closed fist. With limited technology, and no way to anticipate how long the storm was bound to go on, the threat of being starved out was a very real one.

To the small tribes who had called the Great Si Wong Desert home for hundreds of generations, sandstorms were a fairly common occurrence, but it was not typical for them to last over twenty-four hours. More and more recently the size of the storms had been dramatically increasing, stretching on for days at a time. This called for greater storm weather preparations to be made. Many supplies had to be gathered and preserved, more water to be drawn up from the well and stored, and doubly fortified roofs and windows on their mud homes.

Over the last few years, the disconcerting amount of casualties constantly prompted the tribes to improve their emergency protocols and increase the hours for storm watchers to stand guard and monitor the skies.

Lu was among the storm watchers of the tribe, and took her job most seriously. While others might have taken the worsening weather as a simple turn in nature's climate, Lu possessed a deeper spiritual understanding of why the deserts were angered. To her, the answer was clear. The Spirits were grieved by the world's technological advancements, and it angered them how far humanity had fallen from the pure world it once had been. In a desperate attempt to flee the steadily corrupting lands, the Spirits had taken refuge in the Si Wong Desert, the last land untouched by civilizations' 'progress'.

The Desert was the only place left for the Spirits to find the peace and quiet they sought, and for a while, they were able to enjoy it. But then, approximately three years ago, even some of the most archaic sandbender tribes began to betray their pure lifestyle, exchanging it for the technology that the rest of the world was adopting.

That was when the mega-storms started. And it made sense. The storms were the Spirit's vengeance upon the sandbenders.

Lu knew it, her tribe elders even knew it, but to keep their people from panic, they tried to downplay the seriousness of the matter. The only reason Lu kept her mouth silent was because her own father, Long, was the chief of the clan. It was his greatest wish to keep the peace among his people and not cause an uproar. And so, Long set up a meeting with the other tribe's chieftains. It was agreed among them, that all trading and other associations with sandbenders who betrayed the Spirits and possessed modern technology would be permanently banished. The chief's hoped that the threat of being abandoned in the desert without friends or resources would be enough to discourage anymore sandbenders from the terrible folly of seeking out the accursed technology. Then perhaps, the Spirits would be appeased and the storms would finally cease.

However, nothing was ever simple. Even this precaution wasn't enough to appease the Spirits from laying waste. So far, out of the twelve ancient tribes that had called the Si Wong Desert their home, five had chosen to modernize, despite the chieftains' pact. Out of those five, three of the tribes had been wiped out by sand storms. Yet, tribes who had remained loyal to the traditional ways of their ancestors had been afflicted as well.

There seemed to be nothing anyone could do to prevent further catastrophe. Or so Lu thought.

...

"We cannot go on like this,"

The small, dark room was pierced by the faint light of a lone candle. Furious winds hounded the house, battering the boarded windows and howling mercilessly through the barred door. The violent sound of the storm had been so continuous over the span of the last five days, that it had become a normal part of life now. Inside the room, the air was stale and foul; a result of three dirty people living in closed quarters for days on end.

A man in his mid thirties was seated, hunched forward over a tiny wooden table with his rough hands outstretched over the flickering candle. His world wearied eyes glared down at the little flame, his mouth slanted grimly.

"We're down to our last barrel of water, and our food rations are dangerously low," spat the man, nearly blowing the candle clean out as he spoke.

His clothes were basic, as all sand people wore; plain long sleeves and pants made of light brown, durable fabric. The sand bending people were used to shielding their bodies from a merciless sun and therefore, their clothes were intended to cover them fully. Only now, in this hot little mud hovel, the man felt like he was being cooked alive. Sweat trickled from his hairline down his brown face and the back of his neck. Lifting a hand, he wiped the salty perspiration from his eyes.

Across the room, reclined on a fur covered couch, sat a woman sewing a pair of sand moccasins. Beside her was a young boy of ten years old, sound asleep with his head in her lap.

"We have enough to last a few more days," the woman replied calmly, "The storm will be over before then."

"You don't _know_ that. We could **die** in here," the man grit out between clenched teeth.

"Cheng, stop. We will be fine," the woman berated quietly, her tone firm but still quiet, so as to not wake the sleeping child. Cheng clenched his fists and stood from the table to walk over and kneel in front of his wife and child.

His eyes softened, waiting for his wife to return his gaze. She stubbornly continued her sewing.

"Lu, look at me," he ordered, his tone stern. Lu sighed deeply, but finally lifted her green eyes to meet with his slate gray ones.

"If we make it out of this, I'm going to the trading post and bringing back one of those weather readers," Cheng whispered. Lu's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Cheng, no!" She hissed. "You will do no such thing. How could you even think of betraying the village- of betraying _me_ that way?" She demanded. "You know the Spirits will be vexed!"

"If the Spirits do in fact have anything to do with this, then clearly they are _already_ vexed!" Cheng snapped back, "This whole situation cannot continue as it has. People are going to continue dying in these storms! Our best chance for this tribe's survival is to go and purchase a weather device. That way we can know once and for all how long the storms intend to last before they even begin! Why deny ourselves this advantage? All for a lousy superstition?!"

"I forbid you to do this," Lu objected, "If you bring that evil piece of machinery here, my father will surely exile you. Think of me, think of our _son_! How could you abandon us?"

All the determination that had fueled Cheng's fight quickly extinguished. The harsh frown lines on his forehead smoothed away to a look of despair.

"I could never leave you," he breathed, lifting a hand to capture Lu's. He squeezed it, then kissed it tenderly, and when he looked up there were un-shed tears glossing over his eyes.

"It's just... we are trapped here, and I'm _tired_. I'm tired of these storms, I'm tired of living in fear, and I'm tired of having no future! What is the _point_ of life if one is not allowed to make any _progress_ in it? Tell me!" Cheng ranted, losing all composure.

"Hush!" Lu tried, but Cheng would not be silenced.

"Our entire existence we have suffered! When will it end? We are so busy living the lives of our ancestors, we don't know how to live our own. You _must_ see how this ugly cycle has no end! Long may be too old and blind to part from his foolish ways, but you will be chief soon! You can speak sense to our people and stop all this madness!"

Lu stared at her husband, wide eyed and horrified. She pulled her hand free from him.

"Get ahold of yourself!" She snapped, still managing to keep her voice down despite the anger in her tone. "We have a better life than most tribes can claim, and yet you are always complaining. My father has done nothing but honor and support you and our marriage, and yet you thank him by calling him a blind, old fool?! The stale air has gotten to you. You don't know what you are speaking anymore. Go and lie down now," she ordered, thrusting a finger towards the back room. "We will weather through this storm just like every other. And when it is over, you will return to yourself. You'll see," Lu insisted.

For a while Cheng stayed silent, just looking at her.

"What if we left?" Cheng asked, abruptly.

To say Lu was shocked at the proposal, was an understatement. She sat there, examining her husband for a full minute, trying to make out if he was actually serious.

"Are you crazy?" She questioned at last. Cheng shook his head.

"We can pack up and leave as soon as this storm is over. We can make for the Desert's edge with all speed and hopefully avoid any more storms. After we've rested there a few days, we can barter passage through the Serpent's Pass and cross into Ba Sing Se. From there on we could do anything, we could explore the world!"

Cheng's hand found his wife's once more and he gripped it tightly in exuberance. His excitement brought life back into his gray eyes, lighting them in a way Lu had not seen in a _long_ time. And yet, his passionate speech frightened her.

"Explore the world? You mean you actually want to see the corrupt societies that have betrayed and driven out the Spirits in favor of making way for their oh-so-special technology?" Lu huffed, aghast.

"They are different, but that doesn't mean they are corrupt," Cheng rebutted, carefully. "Besides, we don't _know_ that the Spirits are angry. It's a theory. You nor anyone else has actually proven it. They live in a portion of the desert that is surrounded by sinkholes. No one goes there,"

"Why does one need _proof_ when they can see and accept what is already before their eyes?" Lu argued, extracting her hand from her husband's grasp. "We are being punished because our people have dishonored the land. There is no more explanation needed,"

"And _this_ is the logic that somehow inspires you to want to stay?" Cheng demanded, his excitement morphing into frustration.

"We must stay because our fate is tied to this land! It is our destiny. We cannot simply escape it," Lu retorted. "Don't you see that this is not a cause we can walk away from? It concerns **all** of us. I cannot believe you could even suggest leaving our people, at this time of great need. When we need as many able bodied men as possible to survive. I'm ashamed of you."

Those last words stabbed a vicious hole into Cheng's heart. Hurt, and more angered than ever before, he stood and left the room, retiring to the darkness of the adjoining bedroom.

Lu let out a disappointed sigh and shook her head, returning to her sewing.

What neither parent knew that day, was that their son had awoken during their argument, and had pretended to sleep as he listened to them.

Inside his young mind, he thought about all he had heard, and pondered hard. The Spirits were causing this then? They were the reason behind these horrible storms? And no one was brave enough to go out to talk with them? What was so frightening about a few sinkholes? Wasn't the fate of their village worth the risk?

Making up his mind, the young boy resolved to spend the rest of the storm planning for his new mission.

…

An endless sea of golden hills glared brightly under the intense afternoon sun. Even with protective goggles over his eyes, the boy still had to hold his hand up as he scanned the vast expanse of wilderness before him. The sand storm had left its mark upon the land once more, sculpting the desert to its will with its powerful hands and sweeping the sands into a beautiful masterpiece.

Today, the air was calm. And in this stillness the world seemed at peace. Yet the boy knew better. Already, the villagers were talking about how soon the next storm might hit, and debating over if it would be as big as this last one.

The boy's mother and father were too busy to notice that their son had packed his travel sack to take with him on his joy ride over the dunes… It was best this way. They would never have let him go out and 'play' if they had discovered what he was really planning to do. Pulling his riding hood up over his scruffy black hair and covering his nose and mouth with a scarf, the brave young boy stepped aboard his sand glider.

With a deep breath, the boy spread his arms, and stretched out his focus. In his mind, the boy pictured the millions upon millions of tiny grain particles coming together as one. And then he felt it. The sand hummed in greeting, alive with energy. A tingle of excitement went up the boy's spine.

Bending was in his blood. Or at least, that's what the boy's father and told him. After all, mother was a bender. Grandpapa Long was a bender. Great Grandpa Ling was a bender. And yet, the boy's ability to sandbend had not come until late last year. For most of the boy's life, he had lived with the worry that he would be one of the few members of the tribe without this special gift. His father was one of those few, and life was not easy for him. He made the most of what he had, but the boy saw how his father struggled. Given the choice, the boy knew he would prefer to be able to bend like his mother.

So when the boy was nine and still could not summon so much as a grain of sand, an insecurity began to take hold. The fear of not being like the other children… of always being left behind and forgotten, took over the young boy's mind. He became so determined, so fixed on bending, that his own mother had started to worry about him. His father tried to comfort him, assuring him that the life of a non-bender was not that bad. But the boy would not have it.

Then, on one warm evening, after the boy had cried himself to sleep in despair… He had a dream. He saw a desert Spirit in the dunes. The Spirit appeared in the form of a brown fox, and the boy ran to catch up to it. But the Spirit fled, starting a game of chase. The boy ran as hard as he could, skittering over the sandy slopes, sliding down the ridges and loping through the soft footed valleys. But as hard as he tried, he could not catch the Spirit. It continued to elude him. Finally, the boy gave up, started to cry, and sank to the floor in defeat.

It was as the boy cried that he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Spinning around, the boy stared up at a powerful woman. Her skin was dark in color, she had short black hair, and was dressed in waterbender clothes. Her eyes were like limpid pools of brilliant blue, and they smiled down at him.

"Li… Don't be afraid. You are not alone."

Blinking back his tears, the boy scrambled to his feet.

"I'm-I'm not afraid," he objected. The strange woman just grinned knowingly.

"I'm here to help you with your bending. The flow of your chi has been blocked. I'm going to restore balance and open your chakras."

The woman lifted two fingers and tapped the top of his head, then the center of his forehead lightly.

The next thing Li knew, he was sitting straight up in his bed, the morning sun's rays filtering through the window.

Ever since that day, Li was able to bend. It had come painstakingly at first. At times it felt like he had to fight for the smallest bit of control, but over time, it came easier with practice. Naturally, the boy's parents had been thrilled for him, and immediately, his mother began to teach him everything he needed to know.

One of her important lessons was how to use a one-man sand glider. A week after Li's glider lessons were begun, his father surprised him with his own special glider. His father had built the craft for him with his own hands, and the boy considered it the best gift ever. The only sad part about it was how seldom the boy actually got to enjoy riding the glider, since the storms came so often. Hopefully, after this trip, that would change…

Taking hold of the sandy ground, Li shoved off with one clean arch of his arms, pushing and pulling the sand beneath his vessel. The glider lurched into action, sliding down the slope and into the dunes, sail spread wide. Li knew he would have to travel fast. He wanted to cover enough ground that when his mother or father started to look for him, they would not catch him in time to stop him from his quest.

The boy traveled through the dune valley all morning, taking great care to portion out his water supply. When the afternoon came, he stopped to drink and eat a little something from his knapsack for lunch. The short break was needed, for Li was panting hard from all the exercise. Granted, for a small ten year old boy, he was much more fit than your average youngin'. In his village, everyone was expected to pull their own weight, and that meant that there was plenty of labor to go around, even for the children. Li knew how to patch roofs, fix doors and build furniture. He also was an exceptional hunter and tracker. His father had taught him how to read the signs in the sand, and find the constellation maps in the stars. And he learned these things very quickly; Li was the smartest child in his village.

He stared up into the sky now, judging the time of day by the location of the sun and the moon. He had only a few short hours until nightfall. As soon as he recovered from his exhaustion, Li climbed back aboard his glider and resumed his journey. He saw no trace of any other sandbenders during his travels, nor any vicious predatory creatures. When night fell, Li built himself a small tent from the supplies he had packed, and ate his dinner. The stark quietness of the night made young Li realize just how far away he was from his family. Yet, he was not frightened. In fact, he had this strange feeling like something or someone was watching over him and his quest. The spirits perhaps. Maybe they wanted peace too?

For two days, Li traveled like this. Stopping only when it was time to eat, sleep or mend his sand glider. At night, Li charted his way by using the stars to determine his exact location. By noon of the third day, Li stopped his glider at the edge of a fifty foot sand cliff. He stared down in awe at the humongous hole of deadly sand below him. Li's grandpapa had said that this place was the war grounds of the Good and Evil Spirits from long, long ago. The Evil Spirits who were defeated in battle were imprisoned far below the earth, and the sinkholes were the result of those Spirits shifting beneath, trying to find their way back to the surface. Li had always thought his grandpapa Long was being silly and trying to scare him, but now that he was looking at it with his own eyes, he believed.

Carefully, Li got down from his glider and studied the terrain. The entire circular span of land below was dotted by sink pits that opened and closed at random. All except for the very center. Protected by the deadly moat of surrounding sink traps, stood a small forest of exotic palm trees and green foliage. In the forest's midst, was a fortress of some kind, unlike anything Li had seen before. _That_ was where the Spirits lived. It had to be.

Patiently, Li sat and watched the sinkholes for a pattern. There must have been over one hundred death traps just waiting to swallow him, and they were all very close to one another, leaving little room to navigate in between. Yet, Li _had_ to get through them if his mission was to succeed.

Licking his dry lips, Li felt fear curl its icy fingers around his heart. His heart beat wildly inside his chest, being strangled by dread. He couldn't believe he was about to do this. He could _die_! Of course, Li knew he would die, some day. Everyone did eventually. But… the idea of being drowned in a sea of sand pulling you into it's cold, grainy depths was absolutely terrifying! Li gulped, then forced himself to think of some good motivation.

_Ok, I could die. But if I don't try, many more people will die in these storms… And if I turn back now, after everything, I'll hate myself. _

Suddenly, fear's grip was broken, replaced by a steely determination. A seriousness came into Li's electric green eyes as he took in the battle field awaiting him. He took a deep breath. In and out.

Before he could change his mind, Li hopped aboard his glider, and surged off the cliff side. He surfed down the steep sand, balancing the glider as he carved a path down the compact wall and into the midst of the sinkholes. The glider skimmed the surface of the first pit, but crossed over swiftly. The second pit was just beginning to sink again, and Li jumped the glider clean up over it to land on another pit that was closed. The following pit was opening though, and Li turned his glider desperately to dodge it. But he was not fast enough. The caving sinkhole plunged the glider's tail end down, lifting the nose of the glider up into the air. Li lost balance, and in his panic, jumped from the glider completely, tucking and rolling. He ended up landing on his feet, yet by the time he looked behind him, his sandglider was being swallowed.

_No! My glider!_ His heart ached and that fear began to creep back upon him. Then, the sand beneath his feet began to shift. Li's eyes widened in dread and he jumped, launching himself as far away as possible. He narrowly escaped as the pit gave way. Li felt tears staining his cheeks. He was now trapped in the middle of this place, without his glider and little chance of survival. The sand pits made almost no sound when they opened and closed, and it was hard to determine when and where it was safe to step. He wanted to run, but he didn't trust his feet to pick the right direction.

That was when he saw it. A brown fox! It stood not thirty feet from him in the midst of the sinkholes. How?

_Am I dreaming again?_ Li had no time to ponder. The sand beneath his feet began to cave, and Li was forced to move once more. Taking a chance, Li ran in the direction of the fox. The brown fox crouched on its front feet, tail swishing, and then turned and leapt away. It was **just** like his dream! Li chased it, following in the fox's exact footsteps, and miraculously, avoided each of the sinkholes waiting to snatch him. The fox was guiding him!

Before he knew it, the forest was less than fifteen feet before him, and waiting for him, was a whole crowd of Spirits, of all shapes and sizes. They were cheering him on! The fox wove easily through the last three sinkholes and joined the other Spirits on the safe forest ground. It turned to wag its tail and look back at the sandbender boy, yipping at him excitedly. Li was almost there. He skirted the first sinkhole, sprang over the next, and landed directly on top of the third. But it caved right as he landed on it.

It opened, swallowing him down. Li clawed at the sand in terror, trying to stop his descent. He was going to die! _No! _His mind furiously sought for an answer. _Sand bend! _

Grabbing ahold of the sand under his feet, Li shouted with everything inside him. _**UP! **_

A cloud of sand lifted beneath him, floating him above the sinking pit. It continued to lift him, levitating away from the danger zone until Li was hovering over the forest ground. All of the Spirits stared at him in awe. The fox balanced onto its back hind legs, ears pricked forward up at the sandbender.

Li panted. He couldn't believe it. He was levitating! On sand! And just like that, his concentration broke, and he fell to the floor in a heap. The Spirits rushed around him, chirping, whistling and hooting in delight. They pulled and prodded him, encouraging him to get back up. Li was too tired. The fox came forward and sniffed his cheek, then licked it.

Suddenly, something large was blocking the sun. Li felt the shadow fall over him and forced his eyes open. He stared into the massive yellow eyes of a giant owl. Then, darkness took him and Li passed out.

…

Li awoke some time later. The first thing he realized was that the temperature was nice and cool. Had night fallen? Opening his eyes, Li realized he was inside an enclosure of some sort. He had never seen anything like it. Spiral after spiral rose upwards in many heights above him. Above somewhere, was a roof, but it was so high, Li couldn't fathom it. He sat up slowly, noticing the soft cushion he had been lying on. He was on some kind of couch, and around him were shelves. An entire maze of long halls of shelves. Endless shelves in all directions. And on those shelves, were books and scrolls of all sizes, colors and shapes. Li blinked, removing his goggles and the wraps from around his head, then rubbed his eyes, and blinked again. _Am I still dreaming?_

_No, you are not. _

Li jerked, looking around. Who was that? The voice had spoken into his head!

The sound of wings captured Li's attention, and he spun to see the giant owl from earlier gliding down from above, circling until it landed on the floor before him.

"I am Wan Shi Tong, Spirit of Knowledge, the one who knows 10,000 things," the owl spoke out loud. "You are in my library. Who are you?"

Li stood up from the couch.

"I am Li," the boy answered. The owl squinted and bent over, extending its long neck to tilt his head and stare at him. As he did, some of the other Spirits peeked around the shelves to look at Li as well. They could all detect something was different about this boy, and it was Wan Shi Tong who knew the full truth. This boy was the Avatar. His chi was surprisingly weak, but the Spirit of the Avatar was within him.

"Is that all?" The black owl asked.

Li blinked, confused. "Yes?"

"Interesting," Wan Shi Tong raised his head and pursed his beak. Evidently, the boy did not know his identity yet. Nor had the White Lotus found him...

"You have traveled many miles to come here, Li. You even bested the sinkholes. After the merging of our worlds, I placed my library here specifically to keep you humans out. Many have tried to cross, but you are the first to succeed. Congratulations," the owl bowed his head in respect.

Li stared at the Knowledge Spirit in shock.

"Uh...Thank you," Li replied, "But I did have some help."

"Ah yes," Wan Shi Tong turned his head about completely, "My knowledge seeker." The brown fox came loping over through the shelf isles, right up to Li's feet, sniffing and licking his hand with a blue tongue. Li smiled and knelt down to pet the fox's head. The fox wagged its tail happily, jumping to lick his face. Li laughed.

"Strange. You seem to have found favor with him," the wise, old owl said.

"I like him too," Li smiled, trying to keep the fox from licking his face off.

"Tell me, Li, what has brought you here?" Wan Shi Tong demanded.

"I've come to stop the wind storms. They're terrible and they are killing my people. My tribe believes that they are happening because the Spirits are angry with us. Is that true?" Li inquired, looking up at the Knowledge Spirit. The owl shook his head.

"I assure you, young bender. The Spirits are as much a victim to the whims of the weather as you humans are. The desert Spirits came to me in search of shelter from the impending storms ahead. I accepted them into my library on the terms that they serve me."

Just then, the sound of a heavy thud interrupted them. Wan Shi Tong spun around in a whirl of feathers, bearing his beak at a spirit who had managed to drop a whole arm full of books.

"Careful with those! Unlike you, those manuscripts are _**not**_ replaceable!" The Knowledge Spirit snapped. The clumsy spirit trembled with fear and scrambled to recollect them. Li cringed in sympathy. The owl rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the boy.

"My patience is tested daily."

"Well, um… If it's not the Spirits causing the storms… What is?" Li asked tentatively.

"Come with me boy. I will show you," Wan Shi Tong spread his impressive wings and thrust into the air, taking off. As he did so, his talons suddenly reached out and snatched ahold of Li by his upper arms.

"Whoa!" Li shouted, his legs flailing as the owl hoisted him into the air and ascended. The fox yipped and spun to run away. They circled upwards past many levels. Li counted eight before the Knowledge Spirit flew over the eighth balcony and deposited his cargo on the marble flooring. Li hit the ground with a grunt. When he pushed himself to his knees, Li looked up to see the fox waiting right in front him.

Li blinked.

"How'd you get up here so fast?"

"My knowledge seeker is exceptionally quick when he needs to be," Wan Shi Tong stated. Li was amazed.

"Come, this way," the grumpy owl ordered, turning to walk off towards what appeared to be a large table in the center of the floor. Surrounding the table were items of all sorts: armor, weapons, tools and banners. Li hurried over, his eyes feasting on the table to behold an ancient map. It lay three feet by two feet upon a large stone slab.

There were no names or labels anywhere. Just the lines of the land and the sea.

"What's this?" Li asked curiously.

"Have you never seen a map before?" Wan Shi Tong questioned sharply.

"I have, but the ones I've seen don't look like this. This one is so… plain," Li answered, shrugging.

"That is because this is the Avatar's map. The first Avatar, Wan, drew it throughout his travels over the nations to meet with the Great Lion Turtles," the owl explained, "The map is not marked with names because Wan understood that the land was not just territory to be won and lost by mankind. It is alive, and it requires nurturing and looking after. The purpose of the Avatar, was not just to bring balance to the nation's people, but to the land in which the nations exist upon."

Li drank in the history with as much interest as when he listened to his mother read story books.

"Wow," the sandbender said, his eyes alive with awe.

"Young Li, the land has fallen out of balance," Wan Shi Tong said, his tone grave.

"What happened?" Li asked.

"Avatar Korra happened," Wan Shi Tong answered. Li cocked his head.

"I don't understand… My mother told me Avatar Korra was a powerful bender who brought peace to the world. She's the one who brought the Spirits world back to live here, right?"

"That is correct. Avatar Korra accomplished many great things in her lifetime, but there were several things that took place during her life that were not so great. One of those things, was the severing of her connection with Raava, and thus the past Avatars. Her link with them was broken, and when this happened, she lost connection with the land as well. Kora did not understand the full severity of what she had done."

Wan Shi Tong turned away from the map and led Li over to a hall where portraits hung upon both walls. There were so many. Some Li had seen before… In history texts or something. Others were completely unfamiliar.

Li stopped when he saw the portrait of a bald airbender with a blue arrow tattoo on his head. He had lively eyes and a beaming smile, outlined by a slight brown beard.

"Avatar Aang!" Li pointed in excitement. The owl nodded and continued his speech.

"Luckily, Avatar Korra was able restore in herself the Spirit of the Avatar, but in her ignorance, she neglected to reforge her bond with the earth. Now, the lands are in turmoil. They cannot go on this way, without that connection. They seek peace. They seek balance. And so the storms rage, and they will continue to rage."

Li gulped.

"Forever?"

"Possibly,"

Sadness filled the boy's heart and the fox walked over to nudge Li's hand gently.

"That is of course, until the new Avatar is found," Wan Shi Tong stated, looking sideways down upon the young boy.

"But how long will that take?" Li demanded. "My dad says it's already been taking longer than usual. Who is in charge of finding him?"

"The Order of the White Lotus would be the first to know the new Avatar's location. If they have not yet announced the Avatar's identity, then they are either keeping it secret, or they have not found the child yet. Whatever the case, I believe everything happens for a purpose. The Avatar will come forward when the time is right..."

They reached the end of the portrait hall, and at the end of it was another wall, perpendicular to them, with a single picture hanging upon it. Wan Shi Tong stopped before it and Li walked over to see. He gasped.

"It's the lady from my dream!"

She had the same short black hair, dark lovely skin and crystal blue eyes. And, she was waterbender. Under her portrait- was her name. Avatar Korra. Li's eyes shone in realization, chills racing up and down his spine.

The owl tilted his head.

"Your dream? Do explain," the Knowledge Spirit prompted. Li was eager to share. He told all about his struggles to bend, his strange dream, and then his ability to bend afterwards. Wan Shi Tong listened patiently. When Li finished his story, the owl spoke softly.

"And...do you have an idea of what this means, young sandbender?"

Li considered carefully.

"That I shouldn't have cactus juice before bed?"

The owl blinked slowly.

"That's one possibility,"

"Why would Avatar Korra come to me in a dream?" Li asked.

"Perhaps she knows that you have a great destiny upon you," Wan Shi Tong replied.

"Me?" Li scoffed.

"Yes. _You_. You were the first ever to cross my sinkholes safely within sixty-eight years, and one of the very few humans to enter my library who did not seek selfish gain. I would say there is something different about you. Something worth keeping my eye on."

As the great owl said this, he leaned down, bringing one big eye to stare directly into Li's face.

"But I came here to stop the storms… And I can't. Only the new Avatar can. So I failed my mission…" Li responded sadly.

"I would not go so far as to call your journey a _failure_," Wan Shi Tong objected. "Many have wished to stand within the halls of my library. As a reward for making it all this way, and for managing _not_ to anger me-an impressive feat in and of itself-I will bestow upon you a gift."

Li's eyes lit up.

"A gift? What kind of gift?"

"You may choose one item from this library to keep,"

"You mean I can choose anything I want?" Li asked, excited.

The large black owl opened his wings, gesturing about him.

"Anything you want,"

Li pursed his lips, resting his fingers on his chin and turning to look around as he thought about it. There were so many possibilities! Where did he begin? Movement in the corner of his eye suddenly caught Li's attention, and he glanced down to see the fox wagging its tail and looking up at him. A smile spread onto Li's young, sun-kissed face.

"Can I have the fox?"

The Spirit of Knowledge did not even hesitate.

"He is yours."

"Awesome!" Li rejoiced, jumping up and down. The fox jumped too, mimicking his new master's excitement and darting about playfully.

"You have chosen wisely, young Li," the owl said, "As you come to discover how special you truly are, your knowledge seeker will act as your personal guide. He will never lead you astray."

Li laughed as the spirit fox jumped up to lick his face again.

"Thank you. I think I'll name him…Xun,"

After having his supply bag replenished with food and water, Li said goodbye to Wan Shi Tong, and was shown outside of the library by a small group of meager Spirits. They glowed all sorts of fun colors and bobbed about happily. They were the ones who had cheered him on through the sinkholes. Li liked them. As they exited the library's grand doors, sunlight flooded Li's eyes. He pulled his goggles and head wraps back on. When he looked forward, he stopped dead in his tracks. His glider was sitting on the forest ground, in one piece and without a trace of damaged. The Spirits rushed forward and danced around it happily. Li approached, wide eyed.

"How…? Did you get it out?" Li asked in amazement. The Spirits jittered excitedly, not using words that Li could understand. But they gestured to the glider and to him and back to the sinkholes and then back to the library, and Li figured he got the gist.

"Thank you," he said, more grateful than words could say. Li stepped aboard his glider, and Xun came running to jump up behind him, panting eagerly.

"How do I get back across?" Li inquired, looking to Xun and the crowd of Spirits, hoping they had an answer. He was still trying to understand just how he had managed to save himself from that last sinkhole. He'd never seen a sandbender lift himself in the air with sand like _that_ before, not even his mother, who was quite skilled and had created many new forms of sandbending for the tribe. It was a miraculous thing, and now, Li wasn't sure he could bend like that _again_. And he _really_ didn't want to have to re-navigate the sinkholes either!

The Spirits waddled over in their strange way and thumped the sandy ground with their feet, stomping on it in unison. As they did so, the sand pits began to close up, one by one. Li's jaw fell open. The Spirits could control the sandpits? Amazing! But...that meant they were sandbending! And on a massive scale! Only the most powerful sandbenders in the history of the Si Wong Desert were able to tame sinkholes. Li had never thought he would get to see something like that.

He could have marveled over it for hours, but Xun yipped, regaining Li's attention, and the boy shook his head.

"Right, they probably can't hold those solid forever," Li realized, placing a balancing hand on the control bar of the sand glider and shoving off.

Li and Xun sailed through the sinkhole valley without any trouble, and afterwards, Li was able to bend the glider straight up the fifty foot slope and back into the golden valleys of the desert.

...

His parents were not happy with him upon his return. Neither was Chief Long.

"How dare you sneak away like that?! You scared us!" His mother raged, shaking him by the shoulders.

"I had to do _something_ about the storms! No one else would," Li protested.

"You know better than to go into the desert alone! What if something happened to you? No one would know where to find you, and you would die! Do you hear me? Die!" His father ranted.

"I know, but nothing bad happened! I'm ok," Li argued. "I even navigated safely through sinkholes!"

"You did WHAT?!"

Li narrated his tale as quickly as possible, hoping to justify his actions. While his parents couldn't help but question and interrupt the story several times, Chief Long listened silently from the corner of the mud hut, his expression unchanging. At last, when the boy finished his remarkable story, Li revealed Xun, calling him into the tent. Everyone was surprised by the entrance of the fox. This seemed to confuse them just enough that even the chief could not pronounce his full story as a lie. However, regardless of whether Li's family actually believed him or not, punishment was unavoidable.

He was grounded for two long weeks. It was miserable. Not only was he not allowed to ride his sand glider, but he wasn't able to attend any of his mother's sand bending classes with the other children. Everyone in the tribe knew Li was not excelling as quickly as the others his age, and to be held back two more weeks was the worst punishment imaginable to him. And to make matters worse, word of his story had spread… Now everyone in the tribe thought he was a big fat liar. Everywhere he went, tribes folk laughed when they saw him. And the ones who didn't laugh simply took pity on him. But the worst he endured by far, was the bullying from the other children. One evening when most of the clan was out on a raid, Li was carrying water from the well back into camp. That was when three older boys decided to ambush him.

"Whatcha doin, Crazy Li?" One of the boys sniggered.

"Out of my way," Li grouched. Xun's hackles lifted.

"Sure," the boy shrugged and gestured for his companions to let him pass. As Li walked by, one of the boys suddenly bended the sand beneath his feet, causing him to trip and spill the bucket of water all over the ground and himself. The kids all laughed. Li clenched his fists, his chest burning with anger. Xun barked and launched at the offending child to bite him, but the child sand bended the fox away, covering him completely.

"Come on, Crazy Li, tell us the _real_ story of what happened to you out there! You caught sunstroke right? You probably dreamed up the whole thing!"

"Oh please, he definitely made the whole thing up," interjected another boy, "He's just desperate for some attention since he's such a loser! This enough attention for you? Crazy Li!"

The boys all began lifting and spraying sand at him, pelting his face and causing Li to have to cover his head to avoid getting sand in his eyes and mouth. He curled into a ball, fear, anger and humiliation boiling within him like a cauldron. Xun tried to come to Li's aid, but one of the boys kept making the fox sink in place. Finally, Li had enough.

"Stop!" Li shouted, rising up. And when he did, the boys all flew back several yards into the sand, as if a powerful gust of wind had hit them full force. The three boys lay there, looking at him in stunned surprise. Xun quickly returned to his master's side, growling at the downed boys viciously. Li, unsure of how he had just did that, ran quickly home. He'd never sand bended like that before...

Confused, Li told his mother what had happened, but even she had no exact answer for him. As it was, she and his father had not seemed to make up their minds on how much of Li's story they believed. Of course, Lu believed strongly in the Spirits and their influence in human lives, and Cheng knew without a doubt that his son was _not_ a liar. And yet, neither were certain of Li's story being perfectly true until they noticed something strange.

It occurred to them one morning that the storms had stopped.

Li did not claim to have stopped the storms. In fact, he testified that only the Avatar could do it. And yet, after his return, months passed without a single storm. Soon, the whole village was forced to reconcile that Li's three day absence had _something_ to do with this wonderful turn of events. Chief Long began to investigate further by spending more time with his grandson and asking Li questions about his journey. Li told his grandfather what he told everyone else: Only the _Avatar_ could bring balance to the land.

"And how did you say you escaped that sinkhole? The one that caught you?" Grandpa Long inquired. His flaky brown skin crinkled in downward creases around his mouth and eyes, making him appear that he was always frowning. Li sighed and went over the story again. In truth, the boy just wanted to go run and play with Xun. He was getting tired of retelling his adventure.

"I lifted out of the hole. Sand was floating like a cloud under my feet and I hovered away until I was over safe ground," Li explained, for the hundredth time, "Can I go play now?"

"Yes, go," Long ordered, shooing his grandchild from his mud hut. Li bound out the door like a jackalope.

"And tell your mother to come here!" Long shouted after him, his crotchety old voice cracking like a whip.

Lu arrived moments later, bowing before her father and elder.

"Well?" she asked, "What do you think?"

"I have never heard of a sandbender levitating," Long answered. "And yet… If the boy cannot demonstrate, I am not certain if what he did was airbend,"

"And what about the encounter with those boys he blasted away?"

"I didn't see it, and he cannot seem to repeat what he did for me."

"But if he did… If he did airbend…?" Lu questioned.

"Then Li is the Avatar,"

Lu covered her heart with a hand, taken back. She stood there, awestruck.

"Lu," Long snapped, "We don't _know_ this. Don't let yourself get worked up. We need more _proof_."

"But if we summoned the White Lotus, they would be able to tell, wouldn't they?" Lu protested.

"I am not about to summon the White Lotus based on a child's wild tale. There was no witnesses. The boy could be lying. And I have no desire to call the White Lotus here for nothing and be made to look like a fool," Long quipped, "We will wait and see if the child shows any actual _evidence_ of being able to bend something other than sand," the chief ordered.

"Then and _only_ then, will we contact the White Lotus."

Lu took a shaky breath, but she nodded. "Yes, chief…"

…

"This is crazy. Our son is _not_ the Avatar," Cheng scoffed. He shook his head from where he squat, tending to the fire pit that their dinner cooked above.

"What if he is, Cheng?" Lu argued.

"No, Lu. No," Cheng stood up and turned to face her. "He is too weak. He wasn't even able to bend until recently. And he's having trouble sandbending as it is! Despite the fact that you tutor him more than any other of your bending students!"

"I also have a hard time seeing this as a possibility, _trust_ me. But the storms! They have calmed completely since Li journeyed and spoke with those Spirits. That cannot mean _nothing_. And, Li returned with the knowledge that the land can only have peace if it is balanced by the Avatar. I traveled to our sister tribe to research in the books they had on Avatar history, and Li was _right_, Cheng. He was right!"

Cheng sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Let me get this straight. You think our boy is the Avatar simply because the storms have stopped?"

"Cheng, don't sound so condescending,"

"I'm serious, Lu! You think that will be a good enough excuse for the White Lotus to venture all the way out here?" Cheng laughed.

"No, which is why we will wait. I'm traveling back to our sister city tomorrow to trade for some scrolls on waterbending. When I return, I am going to take Li to the springs and put him through some tests," Lu explained.

"And what if he doesn't pass those tests? Then you will be disappointed in what our son is _not_," Cheng challenged.

"No I will not," Lu argued, "But I have to know. If Li is the next Avatar than he has a duty larger than all of us put together, and he deserves to know that sooner than later. He will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. The White Lotus will need to take him away for training, and he will have so much he needs to learn! I just don't want to hold him back from his destiny."

"His destiny, should he actually _be_ the Avatar, would be a lifetime of servitude to the White Lotus and the nations. He would be a slave to society! You cannot want that for him!" Cheng objected.

"He would not be a slave!" Lu shouted back. "How can you say that?"

"I've read books _too_, Lu, and politics are even nastier out there than they are in this desert. And you _know_ how hard it is to keep peace between our tribes! Yet, now you're saying you would actually wish for Li to be burdened with the charge of keeping peace between nations!?" Cheng exclaimed.

Lu stomped the sand under her feet, and as result, it lifted and sprayed at her husband.

"Cheng! Why must you make everything so difficult! Why are you so negative _all_ the time? Our son could be the Avatar. That should be a good thing! We should be rejoicing that his future may be so great!"

"A great future? Yes, I wish our son that," Cheng hung his head. "But having a good future does _not_ include being the Avatar. I hope and pray with all my heart that Li not be chained to such a fate..."

…


	3. Chapter 2: Out of the Desert

**Chapter Two: **Out of the Desert

...

Li breathed deeply, perspiration dripping down his brow. Every muscle ached and the smell of sulfur stained his nostrils. He and his mother had been camping by the hot springs for a week, and each day, Li's mother had him practice his bending drills. Their purpose in coming to the springs was so that she could catch him up on his forms, and teach him a new bending technique that required the use of wet sand. But this new skill was not coming easy to Li.

He still struggled with some basic bending forms and his mother was constantly correcting his stances. To make matters worse, she was getting angrier with him the more mistakes he made-which was unusual for her. And he made many-not so unusual for him. Sand was light and moldable, but it was astoundingly complicated due to how many particles one had to sense and control all at once. Adding moisture to the already difficult equation had Li second guessing if he really was a bender after all.

Yet, despite what he lacked in natural talent, he made up for it in unyielding stubbornness and a heart that refused to quit. Li pushed himself even harder than what his mother asked of him, sometimes going to the degree of causing his body harm. Today, he had just about sprained his ankle while working on leaping forms. He was so exhausted, he no longer had the strength to keep his movements firm and powerful like the sand shark. Instead, he performed like a flopping fish. Still, he pushed on, trying his best.

"You're done for today, Li," his mother interrupted from where she sat on her tent mat. The disappointment in her voice was palpable. Xun lay a distance away under the shade of Li's little tent, watching the scene with curious eyes.

"No, I can do it mom! I can!" Li protested, panting.

"I _said_, you're done,"

Li hung his head, shoulders slumping in weariness.

"Drink something before you become dehydrated," his mother ordered, holding out his waterskin for him. Li reached out and held the skin over his head, pouring the water into his mouth. Some of it missed his parched lips altogether.

"Li, what did I tell you about being wasteful?" Lu questioned sharply. Li swallowed and lowered his bottle slowly, inwardly wincing.

"Waste hurts everybody," Li replied, cursing himself for his mistake. He tossed this failure onto the large pile made up of the rest of the things he could not do well enough today. Nothing frustrated Li more than failure, and his mother's coarse temper was not helping anything. In fact, he was beginning to feel as prickly as a prickle snake. His temper was coiled and ready to strike.

"We do not spill water in the desert. Out here, water is life or death," Lu reminded.

"That's why I want to _leave_ the desert," Li murmured, collapsing tiredly into the sand.

"What did you just say?"

"Dad's right. The desert is awful! Why do we have to stay here?" Li demanded, using his arm to shield his eyes from the merciless sun.

"You cannot run away from who you are, Li. This desert isn't _just_ a place. It is your _home_, and there is nothing you can do to change that. If you were to leave your home simply because things are difficult sometimes, that would be utterly selfish and show a great lack of character on your part," Lu lectured. "You must learn to serve the people you are bound to, and to serve them well. In this case, it is your tribe…. But even were you born to another purpose, to help a greater cause… Then I would still expect you to give all your devotion to that duty."

"But, I wasn't _asked_ to be born here. It's not like it's so great. All we do is steal from other people and then trade the things we steal! Why should I have to suffer in the middle of nowhere for the rest of my life when I would rather explore the world?" Li challenged, sitting up and staring at his mother with a frown.

"Don't use that tone with me. Be respectful," Lu snapped. "And what we take is to survive. We must always put the tribe first, that's how I've taught you. So what is all this nonsense about exploring the world? Has your father been putting these ideas into your head?"

"It's not nonsense! Dad reads me stories from the books about all the other nations. He wants to see them one day and so do I!" Li defended, getting angry.

"Enough! You will never learn the honor in steadiness and loyalty if you fill your mind with frivolous desires that only concern bettering _yourself_," Lu chastised.

"But-!"

"This discussion is over. We are traveling back home to the village tomorrow morning, so eat and get your sleep. I am going to commune with the Spirits," his mother commanded, lifting her chin and closing her eyes as she entered her meditative state.

Li growled, shoving himself up off the sand.

"Good, it stinks here anyway!" the boy barked defiantly, marching away into his tent to sit by Xun, "And I want dad!"

…

Li's parents argued non-stop after that. It became so bad that Li didn't even want to be in the same room with them together. And it pained him the worst knowing that they argued mostly about _him_. When Lu and Cheng weren't arguing, it was dead silent between them, tension lingering in the air and making it unbearable.

One day, when Li returned from hunting jackalope that morning, he could hear his parents shouting at each other from outside their hut. Li cringed, looking down at Xun. The fox whimpered sympathetically.

Deciding whether or not Li wanted to venture into the house, he suddenly heard his mother stop shouting mid rant.

"Lu? Lu? What's wrong? What's wrong Lu? Talk to me," Cheng's voice was worried. And then, Li heard a loud thud.

Dread seized Li's gut and he raced into the house, flinging the door open to see his mother collapsed on the floor with his father bent over her, having just caught her in time to prevent her from hitting her head on the floor.

"Mom?" Li raced over, dropping to his knees beside her. Her skin was paler than Li had ever seen it and her eyes were half closed. She moaned lightly. Cheng lifted his wife carefully from off the floor and carried her over to the fur couch, laying her down carefully. He tenderly brushed the hair from her face.

"Stay with her, try and keep her awake, I will be right back," Cheng instructed, turning to race out the door and find help.

Li grasped his mother's hand tightly.

"Mom? Mom are you awake?"

She moaned lightly, but that was all. Li gulped nervously. Xun came up and licked her cheek.

Cheng returned with rapid speed, and behind him was the village doctor and several of Lu's friends.

"Oh my goodness, she looks so pale," one of the women gasped.

"Li, move son, the doctor is going to check her," Cheng instructed, gently leading Li away from the couch so the doctor could get closer. Cheng stood with his hands resting on Li's shoulders, and they watched as the doctor began his examinations.

The whole room was silent as the doctor tested for Lu's pulse, listened to her breathing, checked inside her mouth and the movement of her eyes. After a painstakingly long wait, the doctor stood up and turned around.

Li felt his father's grip tighten on his shoulders.

"It doesn't look good. Has she been near any sulfur lately?"

"She spent a few days by the hot springs a week or so ago," Cheng answered.

"Has she been experiencing any strange symptoms?"

"Only occasional dizziness and some coughing. She didn't think it all that concerning," Cheng replied.

The doctor looked down at his hands.

"Then, if my suspicions are correct, it appears she has caught a case of Spring Fever,"

The whole room gasped. All except for Li, who had never heard of such a thing as Spring Fever before and could only guess how bad it was by the reactions of everyone else.

"How… How far along is she?" Cheng asked, his tone quavering.

"With how sudden this condition came upon her, I'd say she's already half way through the stages," the doctor replied. Cheng lowered his head, grabbing Li's shoulders and pulling his son closer.

"Is it contagious doctor?" asked one of the other women.

"Not at this point. If someone else already caught the fever, then they would know it by now," the doctor answered. The women all immediately scrambled from the room to run home to their families and check on them.

Cheng's breathing became more shallow.

"And.. There is absolutely nothing we can do for her?"

"There is no known cure. The most you can do for her is keep her comfortable, see if she will eat or drink anything. I'm so sorry," the doctor lamented.

"How long does she have… ?" Cheng asked. Li held his breath. This sounded like his father was expecting a _death_ sentence. And he was.

"A week at most," the doctor replied gravely. Cheng sunk down to his knees and grabbed ahold of Li to hug him. The doctor's expression changed into one of sorrow.

"If you like, I will go and break the news to the chief..."

Suddenly, Cheng was crying. He sobbed into Li's shirt, holding his son in a death grip. The doctor slowly backed from the room.

Li was numb. The circumstances were not sinking in. He didn't understand. His mother was fine, she just had a brief fainting spell, and now she was only going to have a week? It didn't make any sense! Confusion, combined with fear, sifted together in a toxic combination that made his stomach queasy.

"Dad, what's Spring Fever mean?" Li asked, desperate to understand.

"It means your mother is very sick," Cheng responded through tears.

"But there must be something that will make her better!" Li protested.

"If there is, the doctor doesn't know it," Cheng wiped his eyes, trying to calm himself down with deep breaths.

Li looked back at his mother as she lay motionless on the couch, save for the slightest movement of her chest. She still breathed. She was still here. And as long as she was, Li could do _something_.

"Xun!" Li said, an idea lighting his eyes. "Dad, Xun is a Knowledge Seeker! He'll find the cure!" Li said, set angling himself from his father and kneeling before the fox.

"Li…" Cheng tried to protest, not wanting the boy to get his hopes up.

"Xun, find out how to fix Spring Fever," Li instructed his friend. The fox leapt to his feet and sprang out the door, darting away faster than anything Cheng had ever seen. Shaking his head to clear it, Cheng grabbed his son's shoulders to look him in the eye.

"Li… there may not be anything we can do…"

"No dad, there is a way! I know it! It's like you keep telling me, there are all kinds of amazing things in the other nations! And Xun can go and bring back what we need! He did it all the time at the library for the owl!" Li argued.

Cheng sighed. "Ok. Ok, we'll wait until your fox comes back. For now we must fetch some cool water for your mother and see if we can get her to eat something,"

Li nodded. "Ok."

He would do anything for his mother.

…

Two days passed and Xun did not return. Li was beginning to worry. His mother's condition seemed to be getting worse every day. She stopped making sounds altogether and was refusing to open her mouth to eat when she needed to. Whether this was a lack of strength on her part, or a lack of will, the doctor did not know. She would rest her eyes often too. It was becoming impossible for Li to tell if she was sleeping or not. Sleep no longer came to Li, or his father. Instead, they sat up late into the evenings, curled up on the end of Lu's bed. Sometimes, Li's father would sing softly. Other nights, he would read stories out loud. In those days, an hour felt like an eternity. There was no escaping this suffering.

On the fifth day, Li went out to the well to fetch some water. It was as he hauled up the bucket that he spotted a small, brown blur moving across the desert sands, coming straight for him. Li gasped and was suddenly knocked to the floor by Xun, who had jumped on him. The fox squeaked and made all kinds of happy sounds, while in his mouth he clutched a strange device Li had never seen before. It was flat, and metal, but it had buttons.

"What is that boy?" Li asked in confusion, taking the object from the spirit animal's mouth. Xun sprang off him and barked, running towards Li's home hut. Li jumped up after him and raced into the house.

"Dad! Xun's back! Xun's back!" He cried in glee. Cheng turned from where he sat on Lu's bedside to behold his son and the fox together in surprise.

"And he brought this!" Li waved the item up above his head before rushing over and shoving it into his father's hands. Cheng held out the strange object, confusion written all over his face. He turned it this way, and then that.

"What is it?" Li asked, hoping his father would know.

"I haven't got a clue," Cheng admitted. He bit his lip and tentatively pressed a finger tip to one of the buttons. The device suddenly lit to life and Cheng dropped it on the bed, startled.

"What is all the commotion?" Came a voice from the doorway. Li glanced over to see his grandpa, Chief Long, shuffling in.

"Grandpapa! It 's Xun! He brought this thing back!" Li announced in victory. "It's going to save mom! I know it is!"

Long took one look at the foreign object in Cheng's hands and gasped out loud.

"What is it, Chief? What is going on?" Asked a woman, bringing with her a small crowd to the door. "Is it Lu?"

Then they too perceived the strange device and their faces turned white. One tribes woman shrieked in terror and fainted.

"Cheng! Put that down! How dare you endanger our village!? Where did you get that?" Chief Long demanded.

"It was the fox!" Cheng defended.

"Grandpapa, I told you, Xun brought it! I asked him to find mom help, and he brought this back!" Li explained, rushing to the Chief's side.

"You will not resort to such means unless you willfully wish to bring death upon us all!" The Chief shouted, pointing to the strange piece of metal. "Dispose of it! Quickly! In the fire!"

Li's heart skipped a beat.

"Papa no!"

"You're still wrapped in your delusions old man! It's not the technology that is causing the storms!" Cheng shouted, rising to his feet. "And even if it was, if this device can save Lu, I'll risk the consequences. I have to make things right."

"Don't you dare! If you do this, you break the law, and betray the tribe!"

"You would rather lose your only daughter than risk a superstition?" Cheng spat, "You heartless bag of bones!" Cheng took hold of the device and examined its lit screen, determination ablaze in his slate gray eyes.

"I cannot let you do this!" The Chief raged, suddenly lurching forward to grab the device. Cheng fended him off and the scuffle began. Li watched on in horror, and Xun whimpered loudly by his feet. But before the fight could turn vicious, Li heard his mother cough. It was a weak, pathetic sound, yet all in the room stilled the moment they heard it. Cheng dropped the piece of technology immediately and ran to her bedside.

"Lu, Lu, my love, can you hear me?" Cheng inquired, his hands grasping her cheeks. Lu's breathing become a horrible wheezing sound, and it became clear she was fighting for her life. Li crept closer as he witnessed this final struggle. Then, her chest ceased to rise, and the wheezing stopped. Her eyes remained closed, her limbs motionless.

"Lu?! Lu! No, no, no!" Cheng cried, grasping the lifeless body of his wife and weeping wildly. Li couldn't believe his eyes. He _wouldn't_. His mother couldn't be gone. She just couldn't. But the sound of his father's soul wrenching wails drove away any last ray of hope. The doctor came seconds later, and death was confirmed. Cheng's weeping became all the worse. Li's breath was slow and ragged, his lungs shaking with each intake. His muscles trembled and his knees felt weak. A cold sinkhole had opened somewhere in the center of his chest, and a blazing, angry heat started in Li's clenched fists. Li didn't know how it had happened, but when he glanced over to the fireplace, the flames suddenly burst to three times their normal size, shooting white hot sparks all over the floor. A set of cinders landed on the nearest rug and immediately caught fire.

"Fire!" Cried the Chief, and people rushed forward to try and stamp it out. But it would not be tamed. The flames roared to life, racing across the floor, setting other surfaces ablaze in its wake. The tribes folk screamed in shock and terror, as the doctor tried to pull Cheng, still seized in grief, away from his wife and out towards the door.

"Everyone out! Get out!"

The smell of smoke filled Li's nostrils, yet the boy did not move. His eyes were fixated on his mother. Xun barked and jumped on him, biting at his shirt sleeve and tugging. Only then did Li come to his senses. He fled from the house just in time before the roof began to cave in. Villagers rushed from all directions with buckets of water, trying desperately to douse the flames, but it was no use. The hut was lost. Just like Li's mother. The tribes folk ceased their efforts and stood somberly to watch as the house slowly burned to the ground. Li fell onto his knees, tears streaming down his face as he watched the thick black smoke climb into the orange tinted sky. The sound of Cheng's sobs were only slightly louder than the roar of the fire.

...

The very next evening after supper, Cheng packed what was left of his and Li's belongings and loaded it all onto Li's sand glider.

"Dad?" Li asked, watching him load the last of the bags.

"We're leaving the desert. There is nothing left for us here," Cheng answered quietly, beginning to strap the cargo down with rope. Li knew his dad was right. There was no reason for them to stay. At midnight, they sailed away, leaving all they had ever known behind. Since Cheng could not sandbend, it was up to Li to drive the glider. Li didn't mind the work. It kept his mind off his sorrows. For eight days they traveled across the Si Wong Desert. Two times, they narrowly avoided getting eaten by a sand shark, and three times, they had to escape from marauders. Not to mention the ever present danger of sinkholes. Yet through all of this, their course did not waver. They were determined to reach the nearest edge of the sand lands, to where Cheng's map indicated that a small inn should still be. As the days passed and the distance between them and their tribe increased, the better they felt. For the first time in his life, Li understood what it meant to be free.

"The entire world lies open before us," Cheng said, one evening as they reclined by their campfire. Xun lay with his nose nuzzled into Li's side, a faithful companion.

"We can go anywhere we like," Cheng whispered into the night, "Be whoever we want to be. There is nothing tying us down or holding us back now."

Li liked the sound of that.

…

The map was clearly outdated. This inn, this place- whatever it was, was much fancier than Li and his father had anticipated. As soon as they docked their glider into the parking lot, they realized they were definitely not in the desert anymore. The gliders they parked next to were huge! Resplendent beyond belief, with multiple sails, and bulks made of the finest woods. And upon further inspection, there was an additional piece, hitched to the undersides of the glider bellies. A box shaped, metal contraption. Cheng and Li exchanged a perplexed glance.

"What are these dad?" Li asked. Cheng shrugged.

"Excuse me!" Called a man suddenly from the other side of the lot. Cheng turned to look at the person marching towards them. He was finely dressed and wore a rigid expression on his pale face.

"Those, are _yachts_," the man stated, as he approached, "They're pleasure cruisers, for the upper classes. And they're very expensive too, so don't even think about touching them. We don't tolerate riff raff around here, so take your little scrap boat here and beat it," the lot keeper snapped. Cheng frowned, looking down at his own patched clothes and then the sand glider he had built with his own two hands. Somehow he got the impression that Sir Snaps-a-lot here had never done anything remarkable with his hands in his entire life.

"I've never been called _riff raff _before," Cheng replied coolly, removing his goggles and pulling back his hood to reveal his rugged face. "I don't much care for it."

The fancy man took a step back, not liking the deadly look in this rough man's eyes.

"Nonetheless, your kind isn't permitted-"

"My _kind_?" Cheng challenged, closing the space between them, getting right into the man's personal space. The lot keeper swallowed but stood his ground.

"Sandbenders are nothing but troublesome low lives. Just the sight of you will bother our patrons."

"That so? Well sorry to _bother_ anybody, but we'll be staying till we're ready to leave."

"You will n-"

The angry lot keeper was not prepared for the sudden punch Cheng threw at his face. The man reared back in pain, stumbling to the ground from the blow.

"My nose!" The fancy man cried. Li covered his mouth to stop from laughing out loud.

"Alright then. Come on Li," Cheng called, walking past the whimpering man. Li followed happily.

"Way to go dad!"

"That's how you handle bullies, son. Got it?" Cheng smiled, taking Li's hand. Li nodded. He would never forget.

When the pair walked up to the entrance of the settlement, a large sign hung over the main street that read "Welcome to Misty Palms Oasis". A resplendent water fountain in the shape of a mythical warrior flowed in the center of the street on top of red brick stairs and vibrant flowers bloomed in gorgeous vines around them. Massive trees sprang up in neatly arranged rows all around the streets, and from them hung twinkling lights. Li was certain he'd never seen so much vegetation in his life. This was definitely no place for sandbenders. Wherever Li and his father walked, the people in the streets stared at them, either with glares or fearful expressions. Still, Cheng ignored them, so Li did too. They walked a little ways before they approached a little building jam packed with loud people. Everyone walking out had drinks in their hands, laughing and having a grand ol' time.

"Stay here," Cheng instructed, waving Li back. "I'm going to see if I can find interested buyers for the sand glider." Li nodded and watched as his dad entered the loud building. With a deep sigh, Li glanced around, trying not to catch anyone's eye. It was only then, that he realized Xun was not by his side.

"Xun? Xun!" He called, searching around, eyes scouring the streets. He heard a series of yips, and turned towards the sound. At last, he spotted him! A man had put a rope around Xun's neck and was hauling him away. Xun was doing his best to resist.

"Hey! Hey! Stop!" Li cried, running to catch up. He grabbed the man's sleeve and pulled, _hard_. "I said _stop!_"

The man turned to look down at him.

"Go away kid, I'm just doing my job. We can't have strays running around here."

"That's my fox! Let him go!" Li demanded, reaching for the rope. The man evaded him.

"Oh really? You have proof? Where's the fox's ownership chip kid? I scanned him and he don't got one," the big man sneered. Li frowned.

"What's an ownership chip?"

The canine catcher rolled his eyes.

"Nice try kid, but I've seen better actors," he snorted, turning to pull Xun after him.

"Hey, I said stop! He's mine!" Li shouted, grabbing the man's shirt. When the man only tried to push him away, Li stepped back, and assumed his stance. The man laughed.

"What, you think you can fight me kid?"

In one swift movement, Li swept his hand crossways, and sand swept up from the road in a wave, spraying the man in the face.

"Ahh! My eyes!" The man cried, staggering back. Luckily, he let go of the rope to cover his eyes, and Xun slipped free.

"Xun! Come on!" Li shouted, turning to run away. The fox raced away with him, leaving the man shouting profanities as they retreated. Once Li had navigated his way safely to a good hiding spot between two buildings, he sat down and breathed deeply, in and out.

"This place sure does keeps you on your toes," he groaned, petting Xun's head. Xun licked his hand.

"Li? Li!"

At the sound of his father's call, Li sprang up and walked out into view.

"Oh, there you are. I'm taking some men to check out the glider. You want to come or stay here?" Cheng asked. Li wanted to come, even if it would be hard to see his sand glider go…

The lot keeper said nothing when Cheng returned with four civil looking young gentleman, even when one of them asked what happened to his nose. Li watched carefully as his dad played the role of a salesman.

"It's not very big is it?" Commented one of the young men, with obnoxiously curly hair.

"It fits two people, maybe three if you're scrawny, like this fellow," Cheng pointed to the slimmest man in the group. The others sniggered at their thin friend's expense. The man just pouted.

"And how does it run? I don't see an engine," commented one of the other young men, who crouched over to look under it.

"Currently? Sandbender power. But it can be converted to engine powered easily, if you don't happen to have a sandbender on you," Cheng answered charismatically.

"Rather archaic, isn't it?" Curly asked.

"Well sure, but that's the charm. You won't ever get your hands on one like it. Sandbenders don't sell their gliders," Cheng explained.

"Why are _you_ selling then?" one of the other young man asked skeptically.

"I'll let you boys in on a secret," Cheng whispered, gesturing them closer. They leaned in.

"You see, it takes a real tough character to want to live in the desert. It's a lot of hard work surviving out there, much less making a living! I'm tired of it. The sun, the sand that gets everywhere, the vicious monsters you constantly fight off…Heck my son and I fought off a sand shark just on our way here! It's exhausting. I for one don't think it's worth it! So am I the laziest sandbender you've ever heard of, or the smartest? You decide."

The young men all laughed. What Cheng said seemed to work because they only haggled for a little while before finally determining a reasonable price. Once the money was transferred, Cheng and Li unloaded their gear from the glider and strapped the packs to their backs. Cheng bowed to each of the men in their turn, and then he smiled to Li. They walked away.

"Those boys were total cheapskates, but at least it's _something_," Cheng shrugged, counting the coins in his palm once they were far enough from the onlookers. "Hopefully it's enough to afford a night's stay somewhere in this place."

...

The only resort in town had two levels, over one hundred rooms and a beautiful courtyard which housed a large swimming pool. It was strange to see people laying out in the sun's heat in hammocks or on towels, barely clothed. Did they not understand how _bad_ that was for their skin?

When Cheng and Li entered the lobby to the Misty Palms Resort, Li almost slipped on the polished marble floors. Luckily, he caught himself in time. That didn't stop a group of people from snickering at him as they walked by. The man behind the front desk was no nicer. He stared at them skeptically through his spectacles, a frown creasing his forehead.

"Can I help you?" He inquired, sounding the opposite of helpful.

"Will this cover a one night's stay and some food?" Cheng asked, laying his money down on the counter. The snooty man scoffed.

"Hardly."

"Alright then, just the night's stay. In your smallest room."

A line was beginning to form behind them, and Li felt uncomfortable with so many people's eyes on him and his father.

"Afraid not. Now step aside," the man behind the desk drawled, gesturing them away. "There are customers in line who can actually _pay._"

"Please, we'll work for you to make up the difference, if you'll let us stay just one night," Cheng offered.

"What a barbaric notion! Stop wasting my time. Besides, we don't allow _pets_," the man snorted, glaring down at Xun.

"Fine," Cheng sighed, taking back his money and looking at Li, "Let's go."

Together they walked out of the lobby, all eyes on them as they departed.

"What now?" Li asked as they exited the resort courtyard. He was only slightly disappointed they wouldn't get to stay in this beautiful place.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out," his father assured. But Li remembered there hadn't appeared to be any other inns around. They'd already checked thoroughly. Li glanced upwards at the warm colors in the sky. The pink and purple clouds announced the sun's time for setting. Soon it would be dark and the temperature would drop substantially. Thoughtfully, Li looked down at Xun. The fox wagged his tail. After a moment of contemplation, Li stopped walking and squatted down to pet the spirit animal. "Will you help find us somewhere to stay?"

Xun barked eagerly.

"Li, stop asking that fox to do things," Cheng ordered. Li ignored him.

"Go boy!" And Xun raced off.

"Li! What did I just say?" Cheng turned to reprimand his son.

"Xun can help us!" Li argued.

"You can't put your faith in that animal, he will let you down. He doesn't mean to, but he will. You have to rely on yourself," Cheng reasoned.

"But he didn't let us down! He could have saved mom! If you and Grandpapa hadn't argued so much, she would still be here!" Li shouted, unexpected tears coming into his eyes. He wiped them away fast. Cheng hesitated, caught off guard by his son's outburst. His mouth opened and then closed, unable to find the words to say. Eventually, Cheng walked up to his son, knelt down to his level and wrapped his arms gently around him.

"I'm so sorry."

Li's heart flooded with shame. How could he have just blamed his father for his mother's death? It wasn't his father who had made his mother sick. If anything, it was Li's fault.

"It's my fault. Mom was trying to teach me how to bend wet sand. She wouldn't have caught spring fever if she wasn't trying to help me. It's my fault!" He whispered into his dad's shirt.

"That's not true," Cheng replied softly. "None of this is your fault. Don't believe that for one second. Your mother made the choice to visit the hot springs, just like she had many times before without contracting anything strange. What happened was a freak accident. This had nothing to do with you."

Somehow, Cheng's words brought comfort to Li's aching soul. He felt the guilt lift from his shoulders and finally stop crushing him. Cheng squeezed him tighter for a moment or two, and then gasped when Xun unexpectedly zipped right up to them. Li wiped away his tears and smiled at the knowledge seeker spirit, who had a long banner hanging from his mouth. In amazement, Cheng took it gently from the canine's teeth and stretched it out so they could see it.

"Homer's Circus of Wonders," he read, in big fine gold letters on the red banner of sparkles and confetti.

Cheng and Li looked at each other in confusion.

"Dad, what's a circus?"

"Not sure. I've never heard of one in the desert before," Cheng admitted.

The sound of someone shouting from down the street caught both of their attention.

"Bring that back you mongrel! I'll skin you!"

Father and son searched in the voice's direction to see a very fat man in a colorful suit, attempting to run towards them while huffing and puffing. His jogging footsteps were so heavy, he sounded more like a rhino coming their way.

"Hey you two! That's my property!" The fat man wheezed, slowly, but determinedly closing the distance between them. Xun's hackles raised and he growled. Cheng stood to his feet and rolled up the banner neatly. He held it out just as the fat man came to a lumbering halt before them, panting, red in the face, and furious.

"Thought you could get away so easily did you?" He heaved, sweat dribbling down his forehead. Li stared up in awe. He had never seen such a large man, much less, one with such a fantastically thick mustache!

"No no! You've got us all wrong. We never meant to steal your banner. Here," Cheng said, returning it quickly.

"Then how do you explain _that_ beast?" The fat man grouched, pointing the rolled banner in Xun's direction.

"He's my son's pet," Cheng explained, "He told him to fetch something for us and I'm afraid the animal got confused and grabbed your banner instead."

"Oh really?" The colorful man arched a doubtful brow.

"Really! He's great at fetching things!" Li spoke up, happy to prove it. "Watch! Xun, find me a spoon!"

"No, Li," Cheng put a hand over his face as the fox leapt away in the direction of the resort. Ten seconds later they all heard a squeal from somewhere in the courtyard, and in no time at all, Xun had zipped right back to Li's side, a spoon with some pudding dripping off it between his teeth. Cheng shook his head, but Li's proud smile could have lit up the whole street.

"Extraordinary! What a smart animal," the fat man marveled. "Say, did you teach him to do that? I have a squirrel monkey who could use some training. I would pay handsomely for help with that."

Cheng and Li both blinked.

"Sure! I'll help!" Li answered. Cheng set a hand on his son's shoulder, about to dissuade him, but the fat man continued.

"Brilliant! It's getting late, do you have a place to stay?"

Despite the uncertainty he felt, Cheng could not refuse this bizzare opportunity for help.

"Actually, we were looking for a place to sleep," he admitted.

"Well then, by all means, come join me. My troop is almost finished building the tent. We shall have supper and then discuss your work terms," the suited man boomed happily. He had undergone such the transformation from angry brute to jolly friend, it was hard to believe he was the same person. Li quite liked him.

"Thank you so much," said Cheng, "You're really helping us out of a tight spot."

"Likewise! Have you ever tried to reason with a squirrel monkey? Nasty little savages! I've had three trainers quit on me just within this last month! That little bugger was supposed to make me big moola with the audiences, and so far he's costing me twice what I've paid for him! Here's hoping your boy can change my bad luck. Otherwise that monkey's goin' into next supper's stew! What do you call yourselves?"

"I'm Cheng, and this is Li,"

"A pleasure to meet you. And I-" the man gestured with a sweep of his colorful cape, "-am Homer! Ringmaster of the Circus of Wonders!" He bowed.

"Never would have guessed," Cheng chuckled, looking down at Li. They exchanged smiles.

"Right this way you two!" Homer entreated, leading them down the road. As they walked, the street lights flickered on. Li blinked in fascination.

"How'd they do that?! I didn't see anyone light them!" he said, pointing and pulling on his dad's shirt.

"I don't know son," Cheng admitted, "This world is full of new things we're going to have to learn."

Homer looked over at them with curiosity.

"How do you not know about street lamps? Have you two been living with your heads buried in the sand?"

Cheng laughed, but it was a sad sound.

"You could say that."


	4. Chapter 3: The White Lotus

**Chapter Three**: The White Lotus  
...

Pai Sho tile pieces rattled side to side on red and tan checkers. As they danced their way to the edge of the board, a pair of hands darted forward to try and keep them in place.

"No! Stay!" But the hands were too slow. A particularly sharp shake to the table sent the pieces spilling over one by one.

"Curse this turbulence! And I was winning too!" Complained the older man whose hands had failed to save the game in time.

"Oh, what a shame," snickered the player's opponent from across the table. He was a young water tribe man in his late twenties with teasing blue eyes and long black hair that he kept tied up in a traditional braided bun. He was dressed in a fine all white suit, sporting a royal blue tie with a small white flower pinned to it. Casually, he glanced down at the automated watch on his left wrist, and then out the window nearest him. A sea of white clouds floated lazily by outside.

"Looks like you'll just have to find another way to entertain yourself," the young man sighed, resting his hands comfortably behind his head. "Maybe now you'll take that nap I suggested earlier."

The older gentleman pouted, crossing his arms and sinking back into his leather chair. He too was dressed in the same white uniform as his companion, only his tie was red, and his countenance was decidedly less carefree.

"You know I can't sleep while flying," he grouched, to the amusement of the younger man.

The two officials sat within the luxuriously furnished cabin of a private jet. They had every amenity one could ask for, from delicious meals and expensive drinks to the coziest seating. A flight attendant entered from the back of the plane and offered them some desert. Both men declined.

"How much longer until we land?" Demanded the older gentleman.

"Two hours and twenty five minutes," the smiling attendant replied.

The old man groaned loudly. The young man chuckled and closed his eyes, resting his head back against his seat.

"It'll be over before you know it."

"I hate flying. This better not be for nothing," he heard the old man grumble, just before fading off to sleep.

Two hours and twenty six minutes later, the jet pilot's voice announced over the speakers that they were coming in for landing. One look outside the window assured both passengers that they were indeed in the middle of a sandy, miserable wasteland. The cabin shook as the jet's engines adjusted position in order to hover down and sit softly on the sand dune.

"Finally!" The man in the red tie rejoiced, unfastening his seat belt and jumping up to his feet. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Let's hope _this_ one is actually the Avatar."

"Let's," the younger man agreed, grabbing his sunglasses.

Both men disembarked from the jet and stepped into the soft white sand. The scorching heat was the first thing to greet them, followed by the feel of sand in their shoes as they walked down the embankment towards the small village below. By the time they had reached the town, the whole tribe was gathered outside, waiting for them. No doubt these primative people were entranced by the hover jet.

"Which among you is named Chief?" Cried the man in the red tie. They waited but a moment before an ancient skeleton of a man emerged from the crowd, his brown skin as wrinkled as his clothes.

"I am."

"You are Chief Long, who summoned us?" The younger man specified, dipping his chin so that his crisp blue eyes peeked out from over his black sunglasses.

"Yes, and you are with the White Lotus. I believe I wrote for you _not_ to bring any of your infernal technology with you," the chief croaked, his voice as dry and grainy as the sand he stood on.

"The jet allowed us to get to you much faster than any traditional barge or sand glider," reasoned the man in the red tie.

"It is not a matter of speed! It is a matter of preserving peace with the spirit world! But you folk would not understand. And all that besides, you are too late. The boy is gone," snapped the chief.

"What do you mean, he is _gone_?" Red tie demanded, marching up to the chief sandbender, his fists clenched. The young man rushed forward and laid a restraining hand on his companion's shoulder.

"Let us go inside, out from under this excruciating sun, and you can explain what has happened," he suggested, looking to the chief. Long nodded slowly, and turned to lead them towards one of the mud huts. It was smelly, and quite cramped, but it was several degrees cooler, and for that, the White Lotus members were thankful. Once they were seated, they properly introduced themselves.

"I am Master Zey, and this is Master Tae," the younger man said, "We are honored to meet you. Not many have remained as devoted to their ancestors' ways as you and your people have."

"Tell us about the boy," Master Tae cut in, not one for small talk. Chief Long nodded and began his story.

"The night after the strange fire, I spoke to the boy's father, Cheng, and told him that I had sent a message for you by carrier hawk. The next morning, he and the boy were gone," Long explained.

"That's awfully convenient," Master Tae remarked, folding his arms and glaring skeptically at the chief.

"Tell us more about the fire," Zey prompted.

"The boy's mother had just died. She was a sandbender, like him. We were all grieving over the loss, when the flames in the firepit grew twice their size and sent sparks all around the room. We tried to put it out, but we could not contain it. It was moving unnaturally, like it had a mind of its own. In the chaos, I turned to the boy and that was when I saw his eyes. They were glowing white. And his hands, they were burning bright with flames."

The White Lotus members exchanged a thoughtful look.

"What then?" They asked, almost in unison.

"I was brought out from the house, and when I next saw the boy his eyes were back to normal, and his hands were not burned," Long stated, his look far off, as if he was watching the scene all over again.

"And this is the only information you have to give us?" Tae sighed, "I've heard more convincing stories than _that_."

"I would not have thought anything of it myself, were it not for the fantastic tale the boy had already told me weeks before," the chief continued.

"So there is more to the story then?"

"Yes. The boy told me that he had been navigating the field of sinkholes around the Ancient Library of Wan Shi Tong when he fell into one."

"How did he survive?"

"He claims his sandbending saved him. Only, I've never heard of a sandbender who could levitate," said the chief, his old eyes searching between the two officials. Mastery Zey scratched his chin.

"How old did you say the boy was?" he inquired.

"He will turn eleven in two new moons," the chief answered.

"He would be the right age," the young man admitted, looking to his associate.

"I suppose the matter is worth following up on," Master Tae conceded with a shrug, "They couldn't have gotten very far on a sand glider. We'll make a search of the area. Put out word to the local tribes and villages. It shouldn't take long to locate them."

"And what was the boy's name again?" asked Zey. Chief Long took a deep, shaky breath.

"Li."

The White Lotus members bowed and left the mud hut soon after, making the walk back to their jet.

"Li? _Fantastic_. That should narrow down our search to only about a _million_ boys currently living in the Earth Kingdom," groaned the elder man. "I should have asked if that was Li with an I, or an E."

"Calm down, Master Tae," Zey admonished with a smile.

"Was the chief lying?" Tae asked. "Please tell me he was lying."

"Nothing in his energy indicated deception," Zey answered. "I'm certain he was telling the truth. Or at least, he was convinced of what he said."

"Blast. Now we actually have to find this kid."

"Hey, it's like you said. We know the boy couldn't have gotten far. We will find him soon, and then we shall know the truth," Zey stated calmly, cleaning his sunglass lenses with the edge of his crisp white jacket. Tae snorted.

"Not soon enough. I may be a firebender, but I sure as damnation wasn't meant to endure this kind of heat. Am I sweating through my jacket? I can smell my B.O something fierce."

The hover jet was prepared for takeoff when they arrived, and they departed from the village as quickly as possible. Once they were settled back aboard within the cabin, the White Lotus members sent out a mass message via their computers to all the surrounding law enforcement stations of the missing ten year old sandbending boy named Li. It was the quickest way to gain the complete cooperation of the police without alerting the media of yet _another_ Avatar hunt. This would be the sixth one this year, and it was only May. The White Lotus couldn't risk being seen as any more of a joke than they already were. Ten years had slipped by without so much as a trace of the true Avatar. The public was beginning to wonder if the White Lotus was taking the search seriously. Many political candidates and famous movers and shakers had recently begun to spread the nasty rumor that the Avatar had already been located, but the White Lotus was simply keeping it secret from the world as a power play. Conspiracy theories ran rampant through the nations, and though none of them were true, they had the disgracing effect intended.

The White Lotus were no longer seen by the masses as revered masters, devoted to the Avatar, loyal to the nations and to their wellbeing. Instead, they were seen as a selfish cult of religious figureheads desperately trying to maintain control over society by keeping their hands in the four nations' political affairs.

"Should we contact headquarters? They're waiting to hear back from us," Tae said.

"I'll send them a report. No need to call for a meeting just yet," answered Master Zey, activating his computer table top and beginning to type with nimble fingers on the translucent touch pad.

"If this one isn't the Avatar, we're going to get a lot of flack from the masters," Tae stated. Zey didn't pause his typing while he replied,

"It was my idea to investigate the letter. It came to us by a _messenger hawk_ for Raava's sake. There was no way I could let something so unorthodox be overlooked. I'll take full blame should it all come to nothing. Besides, if anything, the location of the kid would explain why we haven't found him sooner," the young man stated, "Everyone else born in the Earth Kingdom within the last decade is already ID chipped and has their records updated yearly to monitor for any irregular behaviors."

"Talk about your low crime rate," Tae mused.

"My point is, the sandbending tribes are non-conformists. What goes on in that desert is still a mystery to most of the world. Why hadn't we thought of searching it sooner?"

"Well, we're here now. Where do we start?" Master Tae questioned, folding his arms.

"We'll sweep the closest edge to the desert. If the father, Cheng, was looking to get as far away as possible, he would have gotten out of the desert as fast as he could. We'll check the local inns and go from there."

"Why would the father take his son and run? Doesn't he know that if his boy is the Avatar he will be treated like royalty?" Tae snorted. Master Zey finished his report and sent the e-letter with the push of a button. He then sat back and looked over at his associate, his usually lively blue eyes dull with some unspoken emotion.

"The man just lost his wife. You really think he was ready to lose his son?"

...

The night wind was cold. It blew mercilessly against the large, multi colored walls of the circus tent, causing the entire structure to shift and sway in the moonlight. Inside, all was still and dark. Some hours after a lively dinner and exchanging fun stories, everyone of the circus troop had fallen into a solid sleep. Homer had showed the new guests to their temporary sleep sacks, and soon they too had drifted into slumber. That was, until a little past midnight.

Cheng lurched awake, drenched in a cold sweat. Frantic, he searched around, certain of danger, only to find Li sleeping soundly on the cot by his side, and Xun on the floor, belly up and snoring. All was peaceful. Cheng set a hand over his racing heart, forcing himself to breathe slowly. His dream had felt so real… Even now the startling images of the nightmare flashed before his mind's eye. He saw his son's terrified face as he was dragged mercilessly away by men shrouded in black. His wails of terror rang in his ears. No matter how hard Cheng had run to try and save him, he could not run fast enough.

Yet now, as reality slowly stole away the irrational fears of his dream world, Cheng held fast to the ones still very present. The White Lotus could _not_ find Li. He would do everything in his power to keep his boy safe from their control. Even if it meant keeping his son from knowing his own identity.

When the morning sun's rays reached the tent, half the troop was already up and moving about. However, Li was still fast asleep, so Cheng took the opportunity to find Homer and speak privately.

"How long will we be staying this close to the desert?" Cheng asked as Homer strut around, overseeing the organized chaos of the tent.

"We have two performances scheduled today, and then tomorrow morning we move on towards Ba Sing Se."

"Very good. My son and I are anxious to visit the large cities." Cheng was more than anxious, he was desperate. The faster they could distance themselves from the desert, the better. But besides this, Cheng had a great desire to see the world, and Ba Sing Se was a place he had only read about. Not once had he dreamed he would get to see it.

"I can well imagine, after living in a desert all your life," Homer replied, monitoring closely as a pair of abnormally tall twins carried a set of props from one section of the tent and into the show ring.

"You have no idea," Cheng sighed.

"I don't! I've been a traveler all of my life. My daddy was a musician and my momma loved him too much to be left at home, so I grew up in a levi-van and by the time I was ten, I had already seen each of the nations two times over. Traveling is in my blood!"

"I envy you," Cheng admitted.

"Traveling does come with its sacrifices as well, but they are all worth it," Homer informed, then gasped as one of the twins dropped a set of beams.

"CAREFUL WITH THAT YOU BUFFOON!" Homer screamed, marching over to lecture the unfortunate offenders, "How many times must I tell you!? That cost me more than your quarterly salary! If it's broken, I will END you!"

For one panicked moment, the twins scrambled to check the beam, and breathed a great sigh of relief when no damage was found. Homer put his hands on his hips, and was about to fire off again, when Cheng spoke up.

"Is there anything I can do to help, Homer?" He offered, wincing in sympathy for the poor troop members who just had their ears blast off. "I'll be around for a while, so I might as well make myself useful."

Homer's red, angry face suddenly softened and he turned to look at Cheng with the brightest of smiles. The way his temper could change so swiftly was mildly disconcerting.

"How thoughtful of you! Why yes, I could use your help," he waddled over and pulled out a flat electronic device from his coat pocket. Cheng's mouth fell open as Homer pushed it into his hands. This device was very much like the one Xun had brought him weeks ago. The device that might have saved Lu's life...

"If you wouldn't mind, please update my travel blog with some new pics! Maybe get some of the desert dunes, and then of me orchestrating set up. Oh! And one of the banner and maybe snap a pic of one of my new animal attractions too. Just be free with it, you look like an artistic man," Homer smiled, patting Cheng's shoulder. Cheng pursed his lips and stared at the piece of foreign technology in his hands for a moment. Then, a determined glint came into his eyes.

"Alright, I have two questions. How exactly do I _snap_ a pic? And also, what's a pic?"

Homer burst out laughing, throwing his head back and roaring into the air, his giant body jiggling. When he finally gained enough air to speak, he leaned over, gave Cheng a nice smack on the back and said,

"Oh Cheng! You are very funny! What a good joke!" And then he strode away. Cheng stood, dumbfounded as he watched the man pace off into the crowd.

"No wait, I'm serious!" He cried, panicking. But Homer was already gone, lost in the busyness of the tent.

…

"Xun, I have no idea what I'm doing."

The spirit fox yelped as the monkey insensitively yanked on his tail and then turned to growl at the offending creature. Li tried to grab the squirrel-monkey but it jumped out of his reach and up into the tent rafters.

"No! Bad monkey! Come back!" Li shouted after it. But he knew it was no use. With a resigned sigh, he looked down at Xun.

"Any chance you can find me a way to train that thing?"

Xun cocked his head to the side.

"I didn't think so. I'd be surprised if anyone knows how to train a squirrel-monkey," Li sunk to sit on the ground in defeat.

"Homer's going to be so upset if I don't figure this out. I shouldn't have lied about having trained you. But how could I tell him the truth when I knew we needed a place to stay?" He groaned, running his hands through his short black hair.

Suddenly, loud music began, and Li jumped. He had never heard music quite like this. Stringed instruments, and flutes, sure, but what was that loud blaring noise? It sounded really cool. Curious, Li got to his feet and explored the tent for the source of this amazing sound. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for.

A set of four people stood on a stage, with various strange looking instruments in their hands. Long black chords came from each one of the instruments and plugged into big black boxes. The music was coming from those black boxes.

"Whoa," Li breathed, standing in awe of the spectacle before him. He had never seen so many colorful clothes or such bizarre looking hair. And beyond that, the music from the stage rang out in loud, powerful wavelengths, pounding into Li's entire body, making his chest vibrate. The lead musician made the front of the stage his domain, pouncing to and fro as he bobbed his instrument with every movement. Li's eyes were glued to the whole scene. He didn't even notice when the squirrel monkey jumped down from the tent rafters to land on his shoulder and watch with him. For several blissful minutes, Li was immersed in this music, until suddenly, it ended. With a final strum of the instrument's strings, the lead musician bowed. Li jumped up and down and clapped loudly.

"That was amazing!"

"Ha! Don't give him a big head kid. He got three chord progressions wrong and added an entirely different riff section!" piped up a musician in the back, sitting on the drums.

"I don't know what any of that means, but I think it was still amazing," Li admitted, turning pink with embarrassment.

"No offense kid, but I doubt you've heard much music, being straight out of the desert and all…."

"Lay off Moku," the lead musician retorted, spinning to point at the drummer, "There was nothing wrong with my playing. It's called _creative expression_. Ever heard of it?"

"If you two start arguing again I will personally feed you to the Platypus-Bear!" Cried a slim woman in the band with a shocking fluff of blue hair. Both the lead player and the drummer ducked their heads.

"Alright, alright," they conceded. Li smiled at the woman. She had been playing on a strange surface with many white tiles, and curious, he approached the stage to look at it closer.

"What's that thing called?" Li asked, almost timid to reveal how little he knew about the world.

"It's called a tuneboard, you press a key and it plays a note," the woman replied with a smile, gesturing him over to see. Li gratefully came on stage and watched in fascination as the woman played a series of keys all at once.

"You try," she encouraged, taking a step back to allow him room. The squirrel-monkey on his shoulder leaned over to press a key.

"Not you, you furry menace!" The woman swatted at the monkey's hand, shooing it away. Li giggled and extended a tentative finger to press his first key. The note it made was pleasant and exciting.

"Wow." His eyes sparkled with interest. He pressed another key, and then another, and soon he was running his hands all up and down the keys, picking random orders and pressing the ones he thought sounded nice in a combination. The squirrel-monkey returned to sit on the tuneboard and bob up and down to the rhythm.

"By Roku's beard! You're quite good at this you know?" The woman laughed. "What's your name anyway?"

"Li."

"I'm Zizi. That's Moku, our drummer, Rikko, my younger brother and our lead pipa player. The quiet one back there is our liuqin player, Migo."

Li bowed respectfully. "It's nice to meet you."

"Wow, so formal," Zizi laughed. "I didn't know anyone bowed anymore."

"Oh, in my tribe it is a way of giving great respect," Li explained sheepishly.

"That's pretty cool. Did your tribe have any musicians in it?" Zizi inquired.

"A few, but they just played flutes," Li answered, pressing more keys on the tuneboard.

"Well you sure have a natural talent. Maybe I'll have to teach you a few songs," Zizi smiled. Li spun around to look at her in excitement.

"Really?!"

"Sure! I don't see why not. I hear you and your dad are going to be here awhile helping train that monkey anyway. And look! It seems to dance every time you play. That's kind of cute," Zizi laughed. Surely enough, the monkey bobbed and jumped around whenever Li pressed the keys in succession.

"Will you show me how you did that last song?" Li inquired.

"Ok."

"Do we even have time for this Zizi?" Rikko protested, "The show is only a few hours away!"

"Oh cool it Rikko, you're just jealous because the ten year old has more natural talent than you," Moku teased. "Heck, maybe in a month he'll be our new lead player!"

"Wow," Rikko sneered, "that's so _not _funny."

Zizi stomped her foot.

"Boys!"

…

The White Lotus' private jet landed just on the outskirts of the desert, hidden by an impressive cliff face so as to not attract any immediate attention to themselves. The pilot acknowledged her passengers with a salute and lowered the loading ramp.

"Keep the channel open. We may need you," Master Tae instructed, tapping a small device in his ear. The female pilot nodded and the two White Lotus members descended the ramp.

"Think we'll really need the suits for this mission?" Tae inquired, pulling at his tight collar uncomfortably. "It's so hot, I'd much rather leave them behind."

"We should stick to standard procedure."

"Whatever you say."

Master Zey pressed a button on his watch and two panels on the jet's underbelly opened to lower a matching white set of the newest levi-cycles. They unhitched the cycles and climbed aboard. With a tap of a button from their index finger, to which the tap screens were coded, their vehicles came to life. Wind shields flickered into existence in front of the bike's headlamp, speed gages beamed bright neon blue and the bike's atmosphere controls automatically adjusted to handle the desert heat. Once set, the two men sped away, a pair of sand rooster tails spraying up as they went. In the distance was a great desert gulch crossed by a bridge that led to the Misty Palms Oasis beyond.

"Why have I never seen this place before?" Tae called over the wind. His companion didn't answer.

When they arrived to the parking lot and left their vehicles, the lot keeper stood rigid straight, and acknowledged them with a bit too respectful of nod. Both officials noticed his bruised nose, but neither commented. Not to his face anyway.

"Suppose it would have been impolite to ask how that happened," Tae chuckled.

"Let's stay focussed here. We don't know how many hours ahead Li and his father have on us," said Zey, becoming suddenly serious. "It's 10am already so let's make this a quick search," he commanded. He was a tall man, at about 6' 1" and walked with long strides into the crowd, his sharp blue eyes scoping out the street. His irises glowed brightly as he expanded his spiritual awareness. His unique abilities to both spirit bend and truth see allowed him to navigate the world in a completely different light. Literally. When he focussed on this gift, he could see all manner of spiritual energies emanating from the living beings around him, in all intensities and colors, like a brilliant light show. And every different appearance, no matter how bizarre, had a meaning. This mixture of bending gave Master Zey the power to look at a person and read their emotional and spiritual condition like a book. The challenge was locating the right conditions.

_Where would two sandbenders go in a place like this? And how would they be feeling?_

Tae pulled out a pipe from inside his jacket pocket. It was white, naturally, and had an engraved tiger head on it. Tae filled the pipe and then ignited a small flame within it, just by staring at it. Zey cocked his brow in annoyance.

"Right now?"

Master Tae took a drag and sighed happily.

"Helps me think."

"Ok, well while you do that, let's split up and start asking around."

"Fine by me."

The two gentlemen in white walked their separate ways. Tae started with the collector and pawn shops. Zey tried the street vendors.

"Excuse me," he said, approaching a woman selling expensive handbags.

"Hello good sir. Fine day isn't it? Can I help you find something?"

"Actually, I'm looking for someone. He's a sandbender. Have you seen any around here lately?"

"Well now, isn't that interesting. It's the funniest thing, you see, sandbenders aren't usually welcome here, but I sure have seen one. Two actually. Just yesterday in fact," the woman replied.

"A man and a boy?" The White Lotus member asked, trying to keep from sounding eager.

"The very ones!"

"Any idea which direction they went?"

"Sorry, I haven't. They were over here by the pub, then over there by the fountain… And then I closed up shop and didn't see them again," the woman explained.

"Alright, well thank you. That helps me," Zey said with a smile, "Good day." He waved as he walked off.

So they had been here. And just yesterday! They couldn't be too far. The young man walked straight into the pub, pleased to be following a solid trail. The men working behind the drink bar remembered seeing a sandbender too. Apparently the guy had caused quite a scene, shouting to get everyone's attention that he was selling a one of a kind, handcrafted sand glider. And he had gotten some interest too. Four young men.

"Any idea where these four young men are now?" He asked.

"Probably at the Misty Palms Resort. They were going on last night about wanting to get some pool time," the bartender replied.

"Do you recall any of their names?"

"One called himself Bekk,"

"Thanks." Zey knew where he was headed next.

A half hour later he stood within the waiting lobby of the Misty Palms Resort, one arm leaned on the front desk as the man behind the counter held a phone to his ear, waiting as it rang.

"Hello sir, I'm sorry to disturb you, but there is a man here in the lobby who would like to speak with you on a matter of importance," the receptionist said, then listened to the line. Zey waited.

"No he doesn't appear to be with the police…" the receptionist drawled, rolling his eyes. Zey couldn't help but smile.

"Certainly, sir. Yes, he will be the man in white," the receptionist finished, and then hung up. "He should be down momentarily."

"Thank you."

However, the host's idea of "momentarily" was very different from Zey's. Fifteen minutes passed by while Zey sat, waiting in the lobby. He became restless. With every passing minute, the boy Li was getting further away. The urgency of the matter was causing Zey to fidget in place and lose his patience. He tried to busy his mind. Something was special about these circumstances, and the location. Ever since the spirit world had been re-joined with the physical, society's adaption to the spirit beings had not been easy. Over the span of Avatar Korra's lifetime, many spirits had fled from the big cities. Their simple, pure minds were too overwhelmed by the technological advancements and the rush of modern day society. They sought to rest in a place untouched by man's busy hands. And who could blame them? So what were the chances that the next Avatar would be found in the wilderness? It couldn't be coincidence. This boy had to be the one they were looking for.

Zey checked his watch for the seventh time. Twenty minutes. He would wait no longer. Standing from his chair, Zey marched back over to the receptionist desk.

"What's taking so long?" he demanded. The receptionist shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know sir, I'm sorry. Perhaps he got distracted? I can call again if you like," he offered, reaching for the phone. He dialed again, only this time, there was no answer.

"I'm so sorry sir, it seems he's busy."

Zey closed his eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. He was about to demand the young man's room number when something in his spirit told him to go outside. Zey got these gut feelings quite often, and had become practiced in paying attention to them. These slight, subtle indicators were often helpful.

"I appreciate your efforts. Have a good day," Zey said to the receptionist, then turned and strut out of the lobby and into the courtyard. It only took him a moment before he noticed some ruckus was taking place by the pool. Four young men were wrestling and throwing each other into the water off the lip ledge, splashing and disturbing the other pool visitors in their wild display. Zey frowned, eyeing one particularly curly headed oaf. The young oaf hefted his friend up and tossed him from the second story ledge into the pool like he was hurling a rotten cabbage.

"Bekk you crazy -! AHHHHH!" The friend cried as he plummeted into the water, sending a wave that soaked some sunbathing patrons. Two girls squealed in outrage, swiftly leaving their lawn chairs, and stormed away with their wet towels in tow. Master Zey could feel the anger returning to his bones. This Bekk had completely ignored the fact that someone was waiting to speak with him in favor of some pool time! Zey breathed, deeply, in and out. He quieted his mind, and cleared it of all rage. Then, opening his eyes, he stalked forward towards the pool ledge where this _Bekk_ was laughing hysterically at his friend's expense.

"Are you the one who goes by Bekk?" Zey called up.

"Who wants to know?" Bekk called back down.

"My name is Master Zey. I'm here to ask you some questions about a sandbender you had contact with yesterday. I believe he sold you a sand glider."

"Master huh? Master of what? Putting your nose where it doesn't belong?" Bekk snorted, "I don't like it when strangers go poking into my personal life!" he announced arrogantly. Then jumped from the ledge, tucking himself into a ball as he plummeted down to the pool water right near where Zey stood. Bekk impacted the water, and a corresponding splash erupted, headed straight for its unamused victim: Zey. Sighing in annoyance, the master stretched out his hand. The spray of pool water immediately stilled, caught motionless in mid air. The onlookers gasped in surprise. Water benders were not common in the Earth Kingdom. Nor was open bending permitted in most high traffic areas thanks to public safety regulations. Breaking this rule would elicit swift and strict repercussions. Zey was very aware of these factors, and had taken a calculated risk in putting on such a display. As soon as Bekk had resurfaced, Zey shifted his weight and tilted his right wrist slightly. With those small motions, the molecular form of the water in his control froze instantly to ice, including the water that surrounded Bekk. The pampered brat screamed like an otter penguin the moment he realized he could not move, but was bobbing in what was now an iceberg in the middle of the pool. Laughter broke out among the spectators, including from Bekk's own friends.

"Hey! HEY! Guys! Don't just stand there! Help me!" Bekk shouted, to no avail. His friends just shook their heads and kept laughing. Finally, Bekk's eyes frantically found Zey's.

"Hey, you can't do this! I'm a distant relative of the United Earth State's President!" Bekk screamed. "If she gets wind of this you will be in big trouble! Let me go!"

"Oh really?" Zey challenged.

"Yes! I'm her third cousins' nieces' adopted son!"

Zey laughed.

"Even if that was so, the President isn't here right now to save you. I think you ought to tell me what I want to know," he suggested, absently flexing his fingers. The ice constricted around Bekk even tighter, making him scream out in fear.

"Alright! Alright! I'll tell you!"

Zey chuckled and smiled an ice melting smile.

…

It wasn't much of a surprise when the local authorities arrived in a squad van shortly after the interrogation session with Bekk ended. What was mildly surprising to Zey was that upon being escorted to the police hover-van, he found Master Tae already inside. Zey smiled good humoredly at his fellow master.

"You went to a pool party without me," Master Tae ribbed. He'd put his pipe away.

"You wouldn't have enjoyed it, the water was a bit too cold," Zey replied.

"So I hear!" Tae chuckled. "Public use of waterbending and assaulting an earth kingdom citizen. The current President's third cousins' nieces' adopted son no less! Those are pretty high charges against you."

"Really? You don't say. That's unfortunate. So, what'd you get in trouble for?"

"Absolutely nothing. I'm the one who volunteered to come collect you," Master Tae grinned smartly.

"Ah."

The ride to the station was short. When they arrived and were let out of the van, the district chief was waiting outside to greet them.

"Master Zey I presume?"

"Indeed," Zey glanced quickly to the chief's badge and name tag, "Honored to meet you, Chief Ju-lang."

"Likewise. Please, come inside and let's talk," he offered, gesturing up the wood porch steps to the police station. They entered the old building and took seats in the main waiting lobby. It was a small station with old, worn furniture, creaky floors and outdated equipment. And by the looks of the desolate building, Zey had to guess it was also understaffed. The whole place was in desperate need of an upgrade, but it was in a dusty little desert town, with not enough tourist profit to go around. Zey could only imagine that the lack of funds was a reflection of the fact that not much of actual consequence happened out here.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on detaining you for long. I just have a few questions," Chief Ju-lang relaxed into his chair and propped a boot onto his opposite knee, gesturing for Zey to have a seat opposite him. He was a short, sturdy built man in his early forties with rough, dark skin, a bald head, and a fantastic scowl which seemed to be his favorite expression.

"Ask away," Zey replied calmly. He sat down in the offered leather bound chair, noting with some disgust the orange foam coming out of a large rip on the armrest.

"Well, as fate would have it, I had just received your electronic report about the missing boy when Master Tae happened into my office. He tells me that this missing boy should be considered a 'high priority' case. However, as I understand it, the boy is currently with his parental guardian and though Master Tae insisted this is not a case of kidnapping, he could not, or would not, provide me with the sufficient reason as to why this boy needs to be found. Something about it being a _classified_ matter? That may fly where you come from. Maybe with those big city chiefs who are too busy to care, but down here, I take every case **very** seriously, and I have to say, there are a lot of missing child reports filed around here. Yet, none of them have ever attracted the attention of the White Lotus…"

Zey nodded, then waved away a fly that pestered his face.

"And your question is?"

"I'm not an idiot, despite what you must think of me," he gestured around the office, "I'm actually pretty sharp, and I pay attention to things. You may not think I've got big enough britches to know what's really going on here, but I have a hunch."

"No one is questioning your competency, Chief," Zey assured.

"Then all I ask is for you to level with me. Is this '_missing_' boy the Avatar?" Chief Ju-lang questioned. Zey looked to Tae. The older master was slowly shaking his head: _Don't do it_. Zey considered his options. Chief Ju-long's energy was a bit hostile, resulting from insecurities, but Zey could read that Ju-lang was a hardworking, honest and trustworthy man. After a moment, he cleared his throat and leaned forward.

"The truth is, we don't know. We have a suspicion, but the White Lotus has been wrong before. We would prefer to keep the news of _another_ Avatar hunt from the general public. At least until we have further evidence. That's why this boy is top priority. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can confirm or deny his identity as the Avatar."

Master Tae groaned and rubbed his temple, clearly not pleased that Zey had made the choice to share everything. But Zey was confident he had made the right decision. They needed at least one competent police authority they could trust.

"Do you understand?" Zey pressed, leveling Chief Ju-lang with an intense stare. Ju-long nodded.

"I do. Completely. A word of this won't leave my lips. In the meantime, how can I best assist you?"

Zey grinned and sent a "told ya I made the right move" glance to Tae (which made Tae roll his eyes) before addressing the chief once more.

"The reason I got rough with that Bekk character today at the Inn was because he decided to give me sass when I asked him about the sand glider he bought from this missing boy's father the day before."

"Ah yes. I believe I can manage to get those charges dropped. Hopefully. I doubt you're in need of any political fiascos," the Chief said.

"Thank you, no. I try and actively avoid those," Zey replied. Tae outright laughed. Zey cocked a brow at his compatrait. Master Tae quieted.

"Anyway," Zey continued, "Despite my blunder, I'm happy to say that something positive came of this little mess."

"OH?" Tae snorted.

"Yes. After some convincing, Bekk was able to give me a detailed description of what the sandbender and his son look like, as well as the tip that they are both penniless and most likely haven't scraped up enough money yet for their journey out of state. This is excellent news for us."

"You're saying it's likely they're still local," Chief Ju-lang stated.

"Yes. This gives us a bit longer of a time window to conduct a thorough search of the area."

"Consider it done," Chief Ju-lang stood to his feet. "We'll have the boy by sunset. What was his name again?"

"Li."


End file.
